


Euphoria

by Jzmrpt1



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jzmrpt1/pseuds/Jzmrpt1
Summary: Ouma and Himiko's friendship took everyone by surprise; they had barely spoke to each other before. Now they were seemingly always together. Not that it bothered anyone. But things quickly get out of hand when this sudden friendship starts an odd chain of events.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Alright so, this is my first fanfic, ever, so it probably sucks and I apoligze hhhh-  
> Like the anthropology, the story takes place in a setting where the killing game never started;  
> Also the characters are my slightly different versions of them, personality-wise. But nothing major, just little changes.  
> (Also I'm sorry that the beginning just kind of, throws you right into the story)

"Hey, Kirumi!" 

She turns to see Ouma running into the dining hall, looking excited. Well, more than usual. 

"Ouma; good morning." 

"Good morning! Have you seen Himiko?" 

"Himiko?" She looked away, thinking it over. "Not since I prepared breakfast for everyone. You didn’t show up, would you like me to make something for you?" 

"No thanks, I already ate."

"You did? But I've been in the kitchen and I haven't seen you-"

"I gotta go find Himiko, bye Mom!" He said quickly, before running off. 

"'Mom?'" She sighed. "But why is Ouma looking for Himiko? That's rather...odd, isn't it?" 

Perhaps she was overthinking, it wasn't too out of place for one to search for another, right? 

It was actually earliest incident that set a series of strange events into motion. 

 

Ouma continues running through the school, talking to everyone he came across. 

“Shuichi!” He calls. 

“Ouma?” 

“What do you want?” Maki hissed. 

“Oh? Maki’s here? Kaede and Kaito too? What is this, some kind of double-date?” 

“N-No! we were all just going outside to train early.” Kaede answered. 

“Really?! Can I train with you guys?” 

“No.” Maki answered simply. 

“And why not?” 

“Because I don’t trust you.” 

“Why do you need trust just to do some sit-ups?” 

“Ouma, when we train it’s not just about ‘doing some sit-ups.’ It’s about-” 

“Boring! I don’t actually want to train with you, that was a lie! Truth is, I just wanted to know if any of you have seen Himiko.” 

“Um, I think I saw her with Angie and Tenko last.” 

“Wow! Kaede’s a better detective than you, Shuichi! You really are useless!” 

“It doesn’t take a detective to remember where she was last-” 

“Wait,” Kaito starts, “what do you want with Himiko, anyways?” 

“Maybe I want to get her alone so I can kill her.” He says through a grin. 

“Ouma! That´s not funny!” 

“Nishishi! Just kidding! That was a lie. Probably.” 

“You better not do anything to her.” 

“Huh? You really think if I was going to kill Himiko, or anyone, I would ask for their location? I would be the obvious culprit! That’d be so boring! Anyways, I’m leaving now. Byeonara!” He runs off. 

“Ouma, wait!” Kaito growls. “If he says or does anything mean to Himiko, I’ll be sure to beat the crap out of him!” 

“Or you can tell Tenko, and she can do it for you.” 

“Oh! Good idea, Maki-roll! Let’s postpone training and see if we can find Tenko or Himiko before Ouma does. Sidekick, Kaede, you’re coming too.” 

They both sighed. 

“It’s never a boring day here.”


	2. Where is she?

“It’s been two hours, and we still haven’t seen Himiko!” 

“Do not worry, Tenko! We will find her in time. Besides, we only just started to search for her one hour ago.” 

“Maybe we could’ve found her faster if you weren’t always getting distracted!” 

“Nya-ha-ha! It’s because I know that we will find her soon! Atua told me so! That’s why we must always ask Atua-” 

“I agree with whatever Angie just said! Ever since I met her, I started praying to Atua every day.” 

“What do you want you degenerate scum-” 

“Ouma! Have you finally accepted Atua into your life? Oh, that’s wonderful news!” 

“Right? Right? Of course that’s a lie, though.” 

“Aw, what a shame.” Angie looked genuinely sad. 

Tenko sighed, apparently not in the mood to deal with them at the same time. 

“What do you want?” 

“Where’s your ugly magician girlfriend?” 

“What?!” 

“Did you not hear our previous conversation?” Angie asked, fully recovered. 

“Nope!” 

“Oh! Himiko got mad and-” 

“Angie! You don’t have to tell this degenerate that!” 

They continued, ignoring her. 

“Why did she get angry?” 

“Because we-” 

“It’s none of your business! Do you know where she is? You better tell us if you do!” 

“Hm...oh! Now that you mention it, I did see her go into Keeboy’s lab earlier. Actually, she’s been in there for quite a while.” 

“What?!” She picked him up by his scarf. “What is she doing in there?! Tell me now, before I end you!” She yelled loudly. 

He rolled his eyes, and his smile disappeared. 

“That was a lie, Tenko. I wouldn’t ask you where she was, if I had just seen her.” 

“...You could have been lying.” She drops him, her voice much calmer. “You’re always lying.” 

“Fair enough, I am a liar after all. So you, too, are looking for Himiko. Did you try her room?” 

“That’s the first place we checked, degenerate. Her door was locked and she didn’t answer.” 

“Atua told me she was not in there.” 

“Did you ever consider that maybe she didn’t open the door because she didn’t want to see you?” 

“How dare you! Himiko would never ignore me!” 

“You mean us?” Angie says. 

“...Like I said.” 

“Ah,” He sighs, “I knew it would be a waste of time talking to you two dummies! And you claim Himiko is your friend; it’s been two hours and you still haven’t found her! There’s not that many places where she could be, you know!” 

“Nya-ha-ha! So you did hear what we said, after all!” 

“That’s it!” 

“Uh-oh! Tenko’s going to throw me!” 

Tenko chased Ouma for a short amount of time before he had lost her.


	3. Pick a card, any card!

“Nyeh, come on. I know this is good for something...” 

She was interrupted by two knocks on her door. Who...? Oh. Oh great; took them long enough, she guessed. She walked over and opened the door. 

“Nyeh, are you two ready to apologize-oh...Ouma?” 

“That’s Mister Ultimate Evil Supreme Leader, Ouma to you!” 

“No. What the heck are you doing here?” 

“Well; I can tell you about it right here and now so everyone can over-hear us and find you. Or you can let me inside so I can tell you privately.” He brought his hands up to his head. “May I come in?” 

“Nyeh...” She was clearly annoyed, but she let him in. 

“Wow, even after being here three times, your lab still manages to look so cool to me!” 

“Yeah, well-wait, three times?!” 

“It’s a lie!” 

“Is it?” 

“Who knows?” 

“What do you want, Kokichi?” 

“Well, at first I wanted you to teach me some of your tricks so I could use them for pranks, but now I’m way more interested in what happened between you, Tenko and Angie. That’s way less boring.” 

Maybe once she told him, he’d be satisfied and leave. 

“It wasn’t really anything major. Angie was trying to make me believe in Atua, Tenko got upset, then they got into a fight over what would be best for me. They weren’t listening to what I had to say, so I got annoyed and left. That’s all.” 

“Eh? Only someone as dumb as you would hide in your own research lab instead of your room, which has an actual lock.” 

Her face didn’t change. 

“Nyeh, it’s not dumb. I knew that everyone would think I wouldn’t be obvious enough to hide in my lab. Which is exactly why I did; no one would think to find me here.” 

“You thought that far ahead? Haven’t you learned by now that all your ideas are terrible?” 

“Its been working so far, hasn’t it?” 

“I mean, I found you pretty quickly.” 

She turned away from him and began picking playing cards off of the floor. 

“I knew if anyone would, it’d be you. I just didn’t think you'd actually come here.” She mumbles. 

“What do you mean by that?” 

She looks at him briefly, surprised he even heard her. 

“I don’t know? You’re different from the rest, I guess. You’re more...” She paused, fishing for the right word. “cunning-? Than everyone else.” 

“If by that, you mean I’m smarter than the others, then yes, I’d have to agree.” 

“I never said that.” 

“Still, I’m flattered that you think of me in a special way, separate from the others. You _did_ say _that_ didn’t you?” 

She couldn’t think of an appropriate response. 

“...You already know what happened with Tenko and Angie. Are you going to leave now?” 

“Nope! Looks like the others are after the both of us now. I might as well hide out here with you.” 

She grumbled and looked away; she may not know much about him, but she knew that once Ouma decided something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind. 

“What’s this?” He pointed to a small rectangular box on the floor, before climbing inside. "Is this what you were messing with earlier?" 

Oh...he heard that.

The box was long enough for him for him to lay on his back, so he does so. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” 

He sits up. 

“Hm? What is it?” 

“It’s a, uh...it's used for-um-” 

“You don’t know what it is.” He answers for her. 

“You say that like it’s a fact.” 

“It is.” 

“Nyeh, I know what it is. I’ve just never actually done a trick with it before.” 

He gasps dramatically.

“The Ultimate Magician hasn’t done a trick with this before?!” 

“Being an Ultimate means you’re the best of that category, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still improve our talents.” 

“So basically, you feel bad because you haven’t figured out how it works yet.” 

“There’s nothing to figure out! It’s magic! I...just need to build up my energy.” 

“Right.” He was clearly unconvinced. “Well, can you show me something you _can_ do?” 

“Why would I do that?” 

“You’re the Ultimate Magician! Do you really need a reason to perform a magic trick? Besides the fact that we’re both hiding out here, with nothing better to do. Honestly, it was unavoidable.” 

“No, _I’m_ hiding here; and why are you staying in my lab again?” 

“I’ve been pulling pranks all week. When I went around looking for you, they probably thought you were my next victim.” 

“So when you told me you originally came to borrow my tricks, that was a lie? Are you going to pull a prank on me?” 

“To be determined.” He smiles. “And it wasn’t a lie, I was going to prank Tenko next. But I guess that’s a lie in itself! I just wanted to learn a few new tricks!” 

She looks at him suspiciously; simply talking to him was a conundrum. 

“Are you going to do a magic trick for me, or not?” 

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a separate deck of cards. 

“Pick a card.” Suspicion still resonated in her voice. 

“Any card?” He says jokingly. 

“Just pick.” 

She sounded annoyed but there was a slight smile on her face.


	4. Abracadabra

“Tenko!” 

“Oh, hi Kaede! Hi Maki!” 

“Kaito and I are also here.” Shuichi says meekly. 

“Have you seen Himiko?” 

“You’re looking for her too?” Tenko’s voice seeped with concern. 

“When did you last see her?” 

“She got upset with us and ran. Atua says, she’s very good at hiding.” 

“Angie-you know what, never mind-yes she got mad at us and ran away, but we’ve been looking for her ever since! I feel horrible, and I just want to apologize for whatever we did!” 

“Huh? You’re saying you don’t even know what you did?” 

“Shut up, degenerate!” 

“We should look for her together; before Ouma finds her.” Kaede whispered the last part, but was apparently loud enough for Tenko to hear anyway. 

“He asked you about Himiko, too?” 

“He did...” 

“Me as well.” It was Kirumi; she must have over heard them. “He asked me this morning, after breakfast.” 

“That’s way too suspicious! We’re looking for her together. Angie, Kirumi, Maki, Kaede, let’s go!” 

Kaede hesitates. 

“What about Shuichi and Kaito?” 

“They can come too, I guess...” 

“Where have you guys checked so far?” 

“We checked every area outside, the gym, the library and her room. Then we tracked down the other students and asked if they’ve seen her.” 

“If she wanted to hide from us, why wouldn’t she hide in her room where she can lock the door? If she’s not in there-assuming that she isn’t-that means she’s somewhere where we can find her and get to her easily...” Shuichi mumbles to himself. 

“What did he say-?” 

“Shh,” Kaede held her hand out. “He’s having a ‘detective moment’” 

“Did you check her lab?” He says, thoughtfully. 

“Why would she hide in her lab? Anyone can go in there.” 

“She wouldn’t hide there, degenerate! Checking her lab would waste the time we don’t have! What if Ouma already found her? What if he’s doing something horrible to her, and she’s waiting for us to help her! Poor Himiko!” 

“I was thinking that she’d hide there since no one would think she would. Besides, if she was somewhere else, don’t you think someone would have seen her by now?” 

“Oh! That makes sense! My Himiko is so smart, she even outsmarted us!” Tenko cooed. 

“Next time, trust Shuichi’s detective skills! He ain’t my sidekick for nothing!” 

“Let’s just go to her lab and get this over with.” Maki’s voice remained calm and quiet, as usual. 

“Then we should hurry; Himiko’s lab is on the other side of the school.” 

“We’re coming, Himiko!” 

With that, Tenko started to run to Himiko’s lab, with the others-except for Maki, who could keep up-following her. 

-

“Wow!” He applauded her. “I mean, you hid the coin in your sleeve, but wow!” 

“If you were just going to figure out all of my tricks, then why did you ask me to do them for you?” 

“Because it’s still amusing to watch! Himiko, you’re the best magician out there!” 

She pulls her hat down over her eyes, visibly flustered. 

“Thank you...?” 

“Oh, don’t take that as a compliment, when it wasn’t. It was a fact. You’re literally carrying the title as the best magician in the world.” 

She glares at him under her hat. 

“...I wish I could make you disappear.” 

“Then why don’t you?” He smirks. 

“Nyeh...you’re so annoying. One day I’ll make a magic trick that you won’t be able to figure out.” 

“I highly doubt that, but I'll be looking forward to that day.” He smiles at her. 

They stare at each other for a moment. She was trying to read him; he was trying to challenge her. Ultimately, Himiko folded and broke eye contact. 

“Everything else takes too much time to set up, so those are all of the tricks that I can-” 

“What about this one?” He stands and walks over to the box. 

“That again? I already told you, I don’t have enough energy yet.” 

He climbs into the box yet again, sitting with his knees to his chest. He looks at her door, his eyes in a trance, then back at Himiko. 

“I think the others will be here soon.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Just an educated guess.” 

“Okay? And?” 

“ _And_ you should get on with it, before they arrive.” 

“Ouma, what in the world are you talking about?” 

“Are you really going to make me spell it out for you? Put the lid on the box and hide me! I can’t do it myself, and it’s not like I can just leave through the door. They’ll see me!” 

“Ha! Why should I help you? You showed up, unannounced and you’ve been bothering me this whole time.” She sits on her knees, next to the box. 

“Really? But I had a pretty good time with you!” His smile turns into a frown as water starts to build up in his eyes. “A-And I thought you had fun with me too!” He begins to cry loudly. 

“...That’s a lie, isn’t it?” 

Almost immediately the tears stop and he smiles widely at her. 

“You got me!” 

She rolls her eyes. 

“...But you know, you said I was annoying you, but _you’re_ annoying _me_!” 

“How?!” 

“I thought you made a promise to Tenko that you were going to be more honest and open with your feelings! You and the others hate _me_ for lying, but you’re just like me!” 

“What? I’m not a liar, like you! They were arguing and...I didn’t want to get involved, that’s all. And, we don’t _hate_ you-” 

“Jeez, Himiko. You’re such a hypocrite. If this happened back when you made that promise, you would’ve spoke your mind and said how you felt! But now you’re right back where you started, because you let yourself get too comfortable! Maybe you _should_ just continue to be a puppet with no mind or opinions of your own.” 

Normally, she would get upset and say something back. But for whatever reason, this time was different. Even though he had just insulted her, Himiko smiled. There was definitely a better way of saying it, but she understood what he was _trying_ to tell her. She noticed that he had his own language. Was he really as bad as she had originally thought? 

“I-” 

There was three loud knocks on her lab door. 

“Himiko! Are you in there?” It was Tenko’s voice. 

“Are you alright?” 

Kirumi too? 

“Yoo-hoo! Himiko? Atua says you’re hiding in there, so come on out!” 

Ouma and Himiko look at each other; he made a face that just screamed ‘I told you so.’ She looks at the door, at the lid, then sighs before picking it up, and pushing it over the box slowly. It was heavier than she thought. Ouma lays down and stares at her with a smile on his face, like he knew she was going to help him, no matter what. 

“Shut up.” She grunted. 

His smile just widens. 

“Why are you knocking? Just go in.” Maki demanded. 

“Isn’t it rude to-” 

“Himiko, we’re coming in!” Tenko yells. 

She almost had the box covered. 

“H-Hold on! Here I come!” The struggle was clear in her voice. 

“Ah! I’ll save you Himiko!” 

“No! Just wait!” 

Tenko yanked open the doors. To her surprise, Himiko was by her bird cages, placing a dove inside and closing the gate; she was completely unharmed. They rush inside and look around. 

“Nyeh...I just didn’t want you guys to scare my doves away.” 

“Himiko is safe! It’s all thanks to Atua!” 

Tenko rushes up to Himiko. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Ouma was looking for you!” Angie joins them. 

“So?” 

“So we thought he might've done something to you. Like one of his pranks or something.” 

“Just because he was looking for me, doesn’t automatically mean he did something awful to me. Nyeh, ‘awful’ might even be too strong of a word...how ‘awful’ are his pranks, anyway?” 

“Wha-?” Tenko said quietly. 

“Do they physically hurt you?” 

“Well...no, but-” 

“Do they stop or keep you from doing your Ultimate?” 

“No, but they’re embarrassing, stupid, and unnecessary!” 

“If his pranks are so stupid, then why did you all rush over here like my life was in danger?” 

“Why are you defending him?” Maki spoke up. 

She wasn’t! Was she? 

“I’m not! I’m just saying, you give him a harder time than he deserves, that’s all. You all tell him what to do and what not to do but he never does anything that bad.” 

“But Himiko! You’re the only one Ouma hasn’t gotten to yet. I don’t know what happened, or if he said anything to you, but he could have just been trying to gain your trust so he could-” 

“He didn’t say anything to me. And as you can see, he hasn’t pranked me yet.” 

“...What if he’s already here?!” Tenko turned to the others behind her. 

“What, like he’s hiding somewhere? I guess it’s possible, but why would he?” 

“So he could sneak up on Himiko!” 

“Tenko,” Himiko started. “It’s not that big of a deal-” 

“We shouldn’t put it past him!” Angie says. “We all know he’s full of surprises!” 

In some sort of silent agreement, they all begin to look around different parts of Himiko’s lab. 

“I-I’ve been here this whole time! I would’ve noticed if he was here!” 

“It’s not that we don’t believe you, Himiko, but Ouma’s pretty sneaky.” Kaito says from under a table. 

“I’m sorry to look through your research lab without permission, but I was requested to assist.” 

“What about in there?” Tenko points to the box. 

“H-H-He's not in there! I haven’t seen him all day!” 

Kaito walks over to the box and swiftly takes off the top; Himiko hides her face in her hat, preparing herself for the commotion that was sure to follow. Angie gasped. 

“He really isn’t here!” 

Himiko looks in the box. Just as Angie had said, he wasn’t there. Where did he go?! There was no way he could have sneaked out; the only exit was the door, where everyone was waiting. Did he actually figure out how the box worked in the short amount of time they spent together? Or did he already know beforehand? She can worry about it later. 

“Nyeh, what did you expect? I told you he wasn’t here. None of you believed me...” 

“No, no! It’s not like that at all.” 

“We were just trying to check for your own good.” Tenko says. 

Himiko wanted to run away again, just to be alone and let the problem fix itself over time, but then she remembered what Ouma had said. She also hated hypocrites, and she wouldn’t allow herself to become one. 

“I made a promise to start voicing my feelings and I haven’t been doing that. That’s why I ran away this morning...you two were so busy deciding things for me, without even asking me what I wanted. You’re my friends but you can’t decide my future for me.” 

Tenko looked apologetic.

“I don’t want to decide your future for you!” 

“Atua says your friends know what is best for you when you sometimes don’t know what’s best for yourself!” 

“Angie’s right Himiko! I made a vow to protect and support you!” 

They still didn’t get it. She sighed and walked out of her lab. 

“Nyeh, what a pain...” 

“No! We’re sorry, please don’t run away again, Himiko!” 

“I’m not running away. I’m leaving, and I don’t want to be followed.” 

Tenko looks at Angie, worried; Shuichi pulls Kaede to the side. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“We should find Ouma.” 

“Why?” 

“Not that he would actually tell us, but I think he was really here with her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hella corny sorry-


	5. Reconciliation

She wiped the tears that were building in her eyes. It wasn’t that big of a deal, really. She shouldn’t be crying. Besides, she did lie about Ouma being in her lab, so she might be at fault as well. But still...it was like they didn't care about what she had to say. She looked up. 

The sky was beautiful and the weather was nice, the silence was very peaceful and calm- 

“Himiko~!” 

Already?! She stands and turns around, ready to give her a piece of her mind. 

“Oh no! Himiko's mad! What are you going to do to me? Set my pants on fire?” 

Oh. It’s just...him.

“Haven’t you bothered me enough today? What do you want now?” She sits back down. 

“I came to thank you, of course! I heard you defending me.” 

“If you heard me, then you should’ve also heard me say I wasn't defending you. You’re both to blame, but I just think it’s not fair that they say they want to get along and escape with everyone, but they don’t try to get along with you.” 

“Don’t argue with your friends on my account! I’m used to being the villain! But still, that’s quite the change of pace for you. What brought this on?” 

“I just thought...maybe I should get to know someone first...before I judge their character.” 

He gasped dramatically. 

“Himiko! Did you actually have fun with me today?! You did, didn’t you?! That’s no good, the others might get mad at you for trying to be friends with a trouble maker like me!” 

“It’s not like I hated you or anything. I just always thought of you differently from the others.” 

“And what does that mean?” 

“I don’t know...you’re just different. We’re all ‘classmates’ but, you were never grouped in with the others. At least to me.” 

“It’s because you think I’m special in some kind of way! That’s why in your mind I stand out, you know? What really matters is, if that’s a good thing or a bad thing?” 

A good thing or a bad thing? She wasn’t sure herself... 

“It’s neither. At least, right now it’s neither. Not until I understand why.” 

“Maybe because you realize what a threat I am! Nishishi!” 

Why was she even telling him this? 

“...How did you get out of the box?” She asks, desperate for a sudden subject change. 

He smiles at her and spreads his arms wide. 

“Magic~!” He said, mimicking her voice. 

For whatever reason, it made her smile. 

“I knew you wouldn’t tell me. But I’ll figure it out.” 

“I’m sure you will.” 

There was a short pause. 

“...Ouma.” 

“Hm~?” 

“Nyah...thank you...” 

She meant it, though it sounded more like a question. 

He just keeps his smile. 

“Someday I’ll actually make a magic trick that you can’t solve, and I’ll figure out how that box works.” 

“I’ll tell you how it works if you teach me some of your tricks.” 

“I don’t want you to tell me how it works...but...I guess I can teach you a few.” 

“Really?! Does this mean Himiko-chan and I are best friends now?!” 

“No.” 

“What?! Himiko! You’re so mean!” He shouts and cries. 

She watches him; soon enough his tears stop immediately and he returns to normal. 

“That was a lie, I didn’t actually want to be best friends with a useless, ugly magician like you anyway.” 

Before she could say any more, she sees Kaede and Shuichi in the distance. Their eyes seemed to be focused on Ouma; they must want to talk to him. 

“I’m gonna go now; I don’t want Tenko to throw me over her shoulder.” 

“Tenko?” She looks behind her, sure enough Tenko was making her way towards her with her head down. 

“You’re sad enough as it is,” He starts. “I suggest you don’t drop the only people who are dumb enough to be your friends.” 

She nods, understanding what he meant. He smiles and leaves before Tenko could arrive. 

“Himiko.” She starts. “I’m...sorry. You were right. We shouldn’t have-I shouldn’t have...you know what’s best for you. I realize that supporting you means that I’ll stand by whatever decision you make, not the decisions I make for you. I should have noticed-” 

Himiko hugs her. 

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you. You were just trying to help me. Don’t worry, we’ll both do better.” 

When she releases Tenko, she has a bouquet of-cough fake-flowers for her to take. Tenko takes it from her and her eyes water. 

“Oh Himiko! You’re so amazing! Whatever you decide, I’ll always support you!” 

Tenko hugs her again, tighter, despite Himiko’s groans. 

“Nyeh...get off of me.” Though she can’t say it without smiling. “It’s just a basic trick.” 

“It doesn’t matter! Anything from you is great!” 

“Too bad it took all of my energy...now I’m just hungry.” 

“Right!” Tenko says cheerfully. “Let’s go back inside! I’m sure Kirumi will be making lunch soon!” 

She glances at Ouma; it looked like they were all walking back to the dorms. She wonders what they were talking about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "As you can see, I am not dead."  
> -T'Challa 2018


	6. Butterflies

“Kirumi!” 

She turned to see Himiko running into the dining hall, looking excited. 

”Oh, Himiko. Good morning.” 

“Ah, good morning! Have you seen Ouma?” 

“Ouma?” She looked away, thinking. “I think I heard him mention the arcade earlier. You weren’t at breakfast today, would you like for me to-" 

“No thank you, I have to find Ouma, thanks mom-ah, Kirumi!” She said quickly before running off. 

Kirumi sighed. Why did this feel so familiar? 

 

“Go Kiiboy, go! You better not let me down, I know you can win!” 

“There’s no way Kiibo will able to win.” 

“Shut up! What do you know?” 

“It’s obvious that Maki-roll is going to win. She’s the best at everything. This is no exception!” 

Himiko opens the door. 

“Woah, what’s going on?” She grabbed everyone’s attention. 

Maki and Kiibo were in front of an arcade game, with fake guns in their hands. Ouma, Ryoma and Kaito stood behind them. 

“Hi Himiko!” Ouma yelled. 

“We’re betting on who would get the highest score; the assassin, or the robot.” 

That seems kind of like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? 

“I’m only doing this so Kaito can shut up about it.” Maki says. 

“Ouma tricked me into coming here. I didn’t know I would be forced to play.” 

“How is he forcing you...?” 

“He says, if I don’t play, he’ll switch my batteries and put me into hibernation!” He yells loudly. 

“But Kiibo...you’re mostly solar powered, aren’t you?” She says quietly. 

“What are you doing here? Want to join in on the bet?” Ryoma said, chewing on a licorice. 

“Bet on Maki.” Kaito whispered to her. 

“...Actually, I’m just here for Ouma. I wanted to show him something?” 

“Ouma’s been looking forward to this all morning, I doubt he’s going to leave now. But you should watch with us! It’ll be fun and it won’t take long!” 

“No, I’ll go.” He says simply, before walking towards Himiko. 

“Huh?!” 

“But what about the game?” 

“Maki’s going to win anyway. It’s kind of boring if I already know the outcome.” 

“Really?” 

“Nishishi! Who knows? You can’t trust what I say!” 

“It won’t take long.” She reassures him. 

He follows her just outside the doors; she digs around in her pocket. 

“Hey, ever figure out that box trick?” 

She pauses and looks at him. 

“Where did that come from? That was like...two months ago.” 

“And in two whole months you still haven’t told me whether or not you did.” 

She continues to fish around in her pockets. 

“The box has a hidden compartment inside of it. The ‘bottom’ slides out of the way so someone can hide in the space beneath it, then slides back over them. You never really left, you were just in a small compartment under the box. That’s also how you were able to hear everything I said. Even though I _wasn’t_ defending you.” She says quickly. 

He just smiles. 

“Maybe Himiko-chan is smarter than I thought?” He says sarcastically. 

She pulls out a handful of small gray marbles, excitedly. 

“I made them myself. Take one.” He does. “Now throw it over there.” 

He tosses it to the area she had signaled out for him. As soon as it touches the floor, it explodes with black and white smoke, paint and confetti. 

“Woah! It’s my colors! Impressive! Or, it would be impressive, if I already didn’t have something like this.” 

“Huh?” 

“I was excited to see what you had made, but it’s just something I’ve already seen.” 

“Oh...I’m sorry, I can go back and make something diff-” 

“Nishishi! That’s a lie! Truthfully, this is pretty cool! I haven’t seen anything like this before; as expected of the greatest magician!” 

Her face lights up. 

“I have other stuff you asked for too, it was fun using my magic in a different way. But...I didn’t know you were busy with something.” She gestures to the arcade. “We don’t have to test them out.” 

“No way! We’ve got to use these as soon as possible! Besides, Keeboy already won.” 

“Really? How do you know that?” 

“...I guess I don’t!” 

Later on, they were told by a very defeated Kaito, that Maki-indeed-had lost. Or rather, she refused to play. 

They spent most of the afternoon using the things Himiko had made on their classmates. They were all harmless, she made sure of that, so the others couldn’t complain. They would all gladly take Himiko’s tricks over the pranks Ouma used to do; the difference was significant, though Ouma still felt the same amount of joy with the new ‘pranks.’ It was a win-win situation, Himiko planned it out to be that way. Everyone was thankful to her when she told them about it. Since then, she’s felt a slight sense of responsibility for Ouma-though she would never tell anyone. Obviously, spending so much time making things for him and teaching him how to use them brought them closer. Which was also to everyone’s benefit. She acted as the only person who could-rarely-persuade him; and the more time he spent with Himiko, the less time he had to bother the others who weren’t as...willing as Himiko. It odd at first. Seeing how they barely interacted before, but they worked. Extremely well. Ouma worked well with Himiko because he loved lies, and what are magic tricks? An entertaining form of deception to bring smiles to people; which was great since he hated being bored. Himiko had proven to him-a few times, actually-that she was smarter than she looked and-though he wouldn’t admit it out loud-he appreciated that she changed for the better, like she said she would. Anyone could tell you that Himiko has changed a lot over the past two months; she was a lot more open to speak her mind and was better at expressing her emotions. Over all, she became more energetic, and stopped saying ‘nyah’ as much. He also likes the way she reacts to his lies. Whenever he lied to her, she either didn’t care, knows it’s a lie, or just believes him. Himiko works well with Ouma because she wants to understand him; maybe then she can explain his intentions to everyone and they’d all be able to understand him better and truly want to escape with him someday. She’s been having fun. More fun then she would’ve thought, spending time with Ouma, of all people. Though it definitely helped that she had a high tolerance for annoyance. But it was fun being able to create her own form of magic tricks, which was something she’s never considered doing before. One would think that she would be upset with how quickly Ouma figures out her tricks. But she sees it as a challenge, something new to do, a goal to reach for. A magic trick that even Ouma can’t understand. She also just enjoys his company, surprisingly. She grew used to, and accustomed to his presence, as he did to hers. They even started adopting each others mannerisms. It was by far the most...interesting friendship of all of the 16 students there; but everyone grew used to it by the second month. Of course, Tenko didn’t approve. But after she saw how happy Himiko was and how much her character was improving, she decided as long as Ouma didn’t say or do anything to upset her, then she guesses it was okay. Now Tenko more or less just tolerates it. She’s secretly waiting for Ouma to slip up, so she can throw him to another planet. It worked out. 

“We only have two more left. Who do you want to use it on?” 

“What about Amami?” 

“Any reason why?” 

“Haven’t seen him in a while.” He shrugs. 

Poor, clueless Rantaro. Together they hunted for him, innocently asking the people they haven’t pranked-yet-about where he could be. Of course, they ask Kirumi; she tells them he’s in the library. 

“Thanks mom!” They both said before racing off. 

Kirumi started to accept her fate. 

They snuck to the library, standing by the door. On his signal, Ouma opened the door and they ran in. Himiko threw her marble, Ouma almost did. But the smoke cleared and revealed an empty library. 

“So, you two are the reason why everyone’s covered in checkered painting.” 

It was Rantaro, along with Tsumugi and Kirumi, standing behind them. 

“Mom! You were in on it too?” 

“It was a request from Rantaro.” 

“Crap; run, Himiko!” 

He puts his last marble in his pocket, grabs Himiko’s hand and runs out the library’s side door. Her hand burned as soon as he touched it; it was so extreme she almost pulled away from him. It was all she could focus on for some reason. Why was his hand so warm? Was it always? It was really inconvenient. She looks behind her, they were still chasing after them, closely behind. Her mind and heart were racing, and her legs were going faster than she knew they could. She didn’t even realize they were already outside and were running towards the pool. Ouma opened the pool door, snapping Himiko out of her daze. 

“Why are we here? There’s nowhere to hide, and they’re right behind us.” 

He continues to pull Himiko to the back of the room. 

“Oh no, you’re right! I don’t even have a plan! We’re doomed! I can’t believe that I-Ouma Kokichi, the one who always manages to get away when being chased-have failed.” His voice dripping in sarcasm. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” 

He quickly opens the supply closet and pushes her in, shutting the door behind them. It was pitch black, she couldn’t see anything, she couldn’t hear anything, but white noise and her own breathing. She nervously reaches around, feeling shelves and the objects on them. 

Ouma _did_ drag them in here, right? 

“Ouma?” She tries to move forward but immediately slams into him. 

“Ow, hey, I’m right here, calm down.” He whispered, so silently she barely heard him. 

He must be really good at staying quiet and still, she didn’t know he was so close; she didn’t even take a full step, before running into him. Now that she knew where he was, she could imagine him standing there. If she wasn’t blushing before she definitely was now. 

“Why are we even hiding? It’s not like they’re going to hurt us.” She whispered, desperate to fill the silence. 

“I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader. I don’t get ‘caught,’ I’ve never been caught before.” 

She made a mental note to ask him what exact ‘skill set’ his Ultimate includes and what ‘talent’ is required. Even though he’ll more than likely just lie to her about it. 

“Then why are we hiding _here_? They probably already lost us and gave up, I doubt they’ll come in here.” 

“They will, any minute now.” He pauses. “Jeez, what’s wrong Himiko? Your face is redder than your hair.” 

What? He’s bluffing, it’s pitch black there’s no way he could possibly see her face. But still...out of all the things he could have said. 

“You’re lying.” 

“You’re probably right. There’s no reason that you’d be blushing anyways, right?” 

She stays silent. Suddenly they hear the pool door open, and someone walks in; Himiko holds her breath. 

“They’re not in here.” It was Rantaro. 

“What about the closet?” Tsumugi. 

“No, that closet is always locked.” 

She knows Ouma is smiling widely. 

“Let’s meet Kirumi in the garden.” 

Then it was silent. Himiko was too scared to say anything. So they stood in silence. She could feel the warmth now, it was radiating off of him. After standing still for so long, she felt a strong urge to stretch out but restrained herself. Without saying a word, Ouma opens the door and steps out. The sudden change in lighting made her close her eyes, and she involuntarily took a step back, causing a mop to fall in front of her. Ouma turned towards Himiko, who was still in the closet. 

“Come on,” He sees the mop she knocked over. “and be careful.” He holds his hand out for her to take. 

She squints, and reaches out to grab it, and as soon as she does, the burning sensation returns, stronger than before. She goes to step out of the closet, trips over the mop, and falls forward. Luckily, Ouma more or less broke her fall. He was sitting, propping himself up on his elbow, with his other hand on his head. Himiko groaned and held herself over him, bringing her hand to her forehead. 

“My head hurts...” 

“Yeah, you head-butted me before you fell on me.” He puts his hand down. “You’re so clumsy, Himiko! I even gave you my hand so you _wouldn’t_ trip over it! You still somehow managed to fall!” 

“If you told me that you were going to open the door, I would’ve have time to prepare my eyes. None of this would’ve happened if you didn’t drag me into the closet.” 

“It was the best and closest place to hide! Just be glad I took you with me and didn’t leave you!” 

“If you ran, I would’ve followed you. They were after both of us, you couldn’t have left me behind!” 

“I’m faster than you, you would’ve lost me! Instead I take you with me, even though you were slowing me-” 

“How was I slowing you down?! You were basically dragging me!” 

“I could’ve-” 

The door opens again; Himiko looks up and Ouma holds his head back to see who it is. It’s Rantaro, he must have heard them yelling. Instead of walking over to them, lecturing them or even calling for the others-like she thought he would-he just stands and stares at them. Why wasn’t he saying or doing anything? Then she realized she’s on Ouma, holding herself inches away from him. Flustered, she quickly tries to push herself off of him, but she places her hand in a puddle and slips forward; making her fall harder into him, throwing off his balance before he falls completely on his back. As soon as she lands on him, they’re engulfed in smoke, and a there’s a slight ring in her ears. They close their eyes and cough, but once they open them, they immediately understand. The last marble Ouma hid in his pocket. They were both covered in black and white paint, powder and confetti. They stared at each other a moment, before they both started laughing. Rantaro sighs and smiles, watching over the two. There really wasn’t a reason for him to take them to the others now, seeing as in they received a taste of their own medicine. He rolls his eyes and leaves the pool area, though he could still hear them laughing after he closed the door and started to walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long paragraph that horribly explains what happened over the time skip


	7. Eggs and Cake

There’s never a boring day here. Rather, that’s what she would normally think; but today was proving itself to be...uneventful. She remembered waking up before sunrise, going to the kitchen for water, and seeing Kaito. He was talking to others, but she didn’t care enough at the time to investigate further. She thought maybe that would lead to something interesting, but everyone seemed to be occupied, given how empty the rooms were. She guessed everyone was either in their labs or in their rooms. The only person she ran into was Kirumi, this morning in the kitchen. She had claimed there was no need to make breakfast since everyone either wasn’t hungry, wasn’t there, or had already ate. She quickly added that maybe that would be for the better. She wasn’t quite sure what Kirumi meant, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. So here she was, aimlessly walking around hoping...praying that something would happen. Apparently, her prayers were heard and answered, because she sees Kaito running towards her calling her name. But maybe that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Perfect timing, I’m so glad I ran into you.” 

‘Ran into her?’ He was clearly looking for her. 

“I need you for something.” He smiles brightly. “Come with me to the gym.” 

Before she could say anything, he turns and walks away. 

“I still don’t understand what’s going on.” She says when she catches up. 

“Well, it all started this morning. Early this morning. On my way to the kitchen, I saw Ouma talking to Rantaro. He was trying to figure out what his talent was. At one point he suggested chef, but I think he was just yelling out random occupations. He told him if anyone here were to be an ‘Ultimate Chef’ it’d be Kirumi. Then we started talking about who would be better at certain things. At some point, Rantaro asked who would be best at scavenger hunts.” 

She had no idea where this was going. 

“Wow, you had a casual, normal conversation with Ouma?” 

She meant it to be sarcastic, but she couldn’t help the sliver of hope in her voice. 

“It was more like Rantaro and I were talking and he just happened to be there too. Anyways, one thing led to another, and now I have a bet going on with Ouma that I can’t lose.” 

“A bet?” 

She remembers that Kaito wasn’t the best when it came to betting...or gambling; and probably doesn’t know when to quit. 

“Just on who’d win a scavenger hunt first.” 

“...And that’s why you need me?” 

“Yup! You are gonna help me...right?” 

“My skill set doesn’t seem like the type that would really come in handy in a scavenger hunt, but sure, I’ll help. At least I have something to do now and I’ll get to see...” She pauses. “I’ll get to spend time with my friends.” 

She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say, sometimes her mind moves faster than her mouth, she suppose. Together, they enter the gym. Ouma, Gonta, Shuichi, Angie, Maki, Rantaro, Keebo, and Tsumugi stood in the center; more people were roped into this than she thought. She waits to make eye contact with Ouma so she can smile and wave, but for some reason, his eyes never meet hers. 

“I’m back with Himiko! Now it can be even.” 

“That’s the real reason you needed me, isn’t it? To make things even?” 

“Uhhh-” 

Luckily for him, Maki speaks up before he has the chance to. 

“We’re even, now can we just get this over with?” 

“Don’t pretend you’re not happy you were invited!” Angie says. 

Maki grabs her hair, flustered. 

“...Like I said, can we get this over with?” 

“Right!” Ouma claps. “I think it’s time we pick teams. Of course, that idiot and I will be the captains! I’ll even let him go first.” 

She can only assume ‘that idiot’ was referring to Kaito; these days it seems to be his second name. 

“I pick Maki roll of course!” 

Now that she thinks about it, how did they come up with this idea? Did they each pick people who they wanted to help them or did they only bring those who they thought would be willing to participate? It seemed weird that they chose to bring certain candidates, but haven’t picked their teams yet. It feels very complicated just for a bet, but she knows neither Ouma or Kaito liked to lose; they must have been awake really early if they had time to figure this all out. 

“Of course.” Maki mumbles. 

“Then I pick Shuichi!” 

Kaito, clearly shocked, tries to come up with an argument. But in the end, it was completely fair; it was Ouma’s turn to choose. He most likely knew Kaito would automatically go for Maki first, then Shuichi, which is probably why he let him pick first. There really is a reason behind every single thing he does, isn’t it? They continue to pick their participants, some looking more willing and excited than others. In the end, Kaito’s team consisted of Maki, Tsumugi, Gonta, and herself. While Ouma had the others: Shuichi, Keebo, Angie, Rantaro. For some reason she felt...disappointed? It wasn’t long before their teams separated and she followed hers outside. Though she heard them talking, she wasn’t quite listening. She was more or less just, following the group. Stopping when they stopped and moving when they moved. 

“Himiko?” 

It was Tsumugi. 

“Oh! Yes?” 

“Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine!” 

“Are you sure? It’s plain to see that something is on your mind.” 

“Oh, no. Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

Even though it was just a stupid bet between Kaito and Ouma, she started to feel guilty. She wanted something to do, and now that she has it, she wasn’t even paying attention. Alright, no more thinking! She should focus and try to have fun with everyone. Tsumugi apparently senses her resolve and smiles. 

“Were you dragged into this too, Himiko?” 

“Ah...more or less. Do you know what we’re supposed to be looking for?” 

“Kirumi couldn’t really find anything to hide, so she hid eggs! I guess, this is more of a plain Easter egg hunt.” 

She didn’t know Kirumi was also involved in this. 

“If I’m being honest,” Tsumugi lowers her voice. “I’m only helping for the reward. But I think most of us are.” 

“Reward? What’s the reward?” 

“A party for the winning team! Kirumi said she’d make a feast for us.” 

“Really?!” 

Kaito didn’t even tell her about that. 

“You didn’t know? Then, why are you helping?” 

Why was she helping again? Because it’s been a while since she’s seen-wait, that’s not it. Because she was bored? 

“Because...I had nothing better to do.” She laughs, not quite sure why. 

Tsumugi nods and they continue their search. Apparently, the eggs were only hidden outside and on the first floor. She didn’t know why they started outside, but they were going to have to make their way inside eventually, right? 

“Alright team!” Kaito says, at a certain point. “I think it’d be faster if we all split up.” 

Next thing she knew, she was alone outside, with no clue where to look, or even how many eggs there were in total. She might as well continue to check outside and make sure they didn’t miss anything. 

“If I were Kirumi, where would I hide an egg?” 

Probably in a really good hiding place that she’d never find on her own. She doesn’t know how long it’s been, but she’s pretty sure she checked everywhere. If they were missing any eggs, they probably weren’t outside. Hopefully the others are having better luck than her; actually, she should probably just meet with the rest of her team. She turns to make her way back inside, but slams into something hard. Or...someone? She rubs her head. 

“I’m sorry-oh, what are you doing outside? Wasn’t your team starting inside?” 

It was Keebo. 

“We were, but we were ordered to come outside. I’m sorry for bumping into you!” 

“No, it’s okay! Oh, and uh, by the way, I don’t think there are any eggs out here. But maybe _you_ can find one since you’re-” She stops herself. 

He glares at her. 

“Since I'm what?” 

“S-Since you’re so good at finding things! Probably way better than me. Good luck!” 

“You too.” He says suspiciously, before walking towards the dorms. 

She breathes. Oh, now that she thinks about it, she should’ve asked how many eggs his team had found. And she would’ve, if he hadn’t already disappeared from her sight. 

“Good thing that was short.” 

She screamed. 

“I thought he might never leave!” 

“You scared the crap out of me Ouma; were you hiding behind that tree? How long have you been there?” 

“Not long.” He shrugs. 

She waits for him to explain further, but he doesn’t. 

“ _So_ , what are you doing here?” 

“I’m checking for eggs! Like Keeboy!” 

“Okay...but why are you _here_? As in behind the tree?” 

“I couldn’t let someone on my team see me conversing with the enemy!” He states, like it’s obvious. 

“Me? Were you looking for me?” 

“Nope! I just happened to see you when I came outside. No specific reason!” 

That still doesn’t explain why he’s talking to her or what he wants. 

“Oh, since you’re here, do you know how many eggs there are?” 

“Of course, I do! There’s eighteen in total!” 

“That’s not a lie, is it?” 

He shrugs. 

“I wonder how many we found...” She says, more-so to herself.

“Your team has eight.” 

“Huh? How do you know that?” 

“I saw Kaito with the basket earlier. That’s actually why I’m here!” 

“I thought you said there was no rea-” 

“See, your team has eight, and my team has nine. I figured the best way to go about this is to make it a draw! I’ll help you find that last egg!” 

“...What?” 

“That way, I can brag to Kaito about having to help his team.” 

“Is that really why you’re helping me?” 

“Yup! I mean, I guess it’d be nice for both of us to win, but that thought hadn’t even occurred to me until just now! It’s mainly so I can hold this over Kaito’s idiot head forever.” 

_Suuuuure_. It's okay to admit you want both teams to win, Ouma. 

“...Uh, then, thank you.” She smiles. 

“Let’s go look together!” 

He moves to grab her hand but she reflexively jerks away. So hard, she actually takes a few steps back and falls. She didn’t even realize what had happened at first. Why did she do that? It’s not like she wasn’t used to him dragging her around everywhere. He looks at her, confused and she immediately wants to apologize, take his hand and go look for this stupid egg. Then she remembers the burning she feels whenever he touches her hand; her body must have just reacted before her mind could. 

“Jeez, you act like I’m going to murder you or something.” 

Before she could think of what to say, she notices something. Something small and pink that stands out against the brown and green of the tree. The egg was on the branch. Something she would have never noticed unless she was on the ground, looking up, as she was now. 

“Ouma, look!” She points to it. 

“Nice! I found the last egg!” 

“ _I_ found the last-” 

“You’re lucky I was around to help, Himiko! Nishishi!” 

She rolls her eyes picks herself off the ground. They had found... _She_ , had found the egg, but- 

“How are we going to get it?” 

It wasn’t exactly in arms reach, and the tree didn’t look very climbable. 

“Hmm.” Is all he says, crossing his arms. 

“I could just go get a ladder or I could find-” 

“That’s boring, and it’ll take too long.” Another pause, then his face lights up. “You can just get on my shoulders!” 

“What?!” 

“It’s not like I can get on your shoulders. Do you have a better idea?” 

“I have plenty! We could ask someone for help, I could stand on your back, you could-” 

“If you stood on my back that wouldn’t put you that much closer to it.” 

That’s...true. 

“We could’ve already been done with it, by now. Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed.” He sounds annoyed, but he’s smirking. 

He’s so blunt! 

“I-I’m not!” She sighs. “Alright, fine. You better not drop me, or else I’m telling Tenko.” 

“Uh oh, we wouldn’t want that!” 

He walks to the tree then crouches down; she-very-hesitantly tries her best to climb onto his shoulders. Once she does, he shoots up. 

“See? Easy-peasy, now grab the egg!” 

His hands. _His hands_. His hands are on her legs. For some reason that was all she could think about. It was normal. It was to keep her balance. But, his hands. And she thought the burning was bad when he was touching her _hand_? It was ten times worse now. At least it wasn't her bare legs. 

“Did you get it?” 

“Oh! Uh,” She leans forward and easily picks the egg from its hiding spot. “Yeah.” 

She wasted no time getting back on the ground. He tells her they’ll find Kirumi together. On the walk back, she wonders why he couldn’t be this nice when the others were around. It would help them realize that he’s not as bad as they think. Before they could get inside, they spotted Maki, just outside the door. Himiko agreed to talk to her and potentially send her away since Ouma didn’t want anyone on her team to think she was ‘working for the enemy.’ He hid around a corner as she approached Maki. 

“Hi Maki. What are you doing outside?” 

“Looking for you, did you find any eggs?” 

“Yeah I did, don’t worry we can go for a draw.” She decided to just leave Ouma out of it entirely, just in case. 

“A draw? What do you mean?” 

“A draw. Like both of our teams can win? Since I found the last egg.” 

“What are you talking about? There can’t be a draw.” 

“There can’t? But I found the last egg, so we have nine, and the other team has nine.” 

“...You think there are eighteen eggs? Who did you hear that from?” 

She changed her mind about leaving him out of it. 

“Ouma.” 

“He was lying, there’s nineteen eggs. Why did he tell you that?” 

“He said that since his team already had nine eggs, and we had eight, he’d help me find the last one, so we could both win.” She could feel herself losing confidence. 

“Both teams have nine eggs. We were looking for the tie-breaker egg.” 

So, Ouma wanting them both to win really was just a lie? Should she even be surprised? 

“But it’s fine. You said you had the egg, right?” 

...Actually, she didn’t. Ouma had coincidentally asked her if he could take a look at it, just before they found Maki. She didn’t even think twice about giving it to him. 

“ _Right_.” 

“I’ll go find the rest of the team, then we can go tell Kirumi.” She smiles-as much as Maki could smile-and goes inside. 

As soon as Maki is inside, she runs to where Ouma was hiding. He’s not there. Of course, he isn’t. 

“Where did you go?!” She yells to no one in particular, before running off to find him. 

Of course, he was just lying to her. Of course, he was just using her to steal the last egg and win. Why did she expect anything else? Why does she think she’ll get some sort of special treatment? She doesn’t stand out, she’s not different, she’s just like everyone else and she’ll get treated as such. He must have gone inside, because she couldn’t find him anywhere outside. She hurries back to the entrance, hoping she can find him before Maki gets her team back together. Why did she feel so angry? This was to be expected, right? It was her fault for thinking otherwise. It’s just a stupid game anyways. She’s only mad because her team was going to lose...right? Ouma was nowhere to be found; well he is Ouma, after all. Maki must have gathered everyone together by now, they’ll come to find her any minute. Her whole team was going to be disappointed, and it’ll be her fault. Kirumi was probably in the kitchen, getting ready to cook for the winning team, so that’s where she goes. Though she was not expecting everyone else to be there as well. They all look at her when she enters. 

“Himiko! Maki said you found the last egg? Good job!” 

“This is exactly why I choose you to be on my team!” 

“I’m glad you found it, we were looking everywhere.” 

“Gonta knew friends could do it!” 

She feels guilty. Guilty and strangely cold. 

“You can give it to Kirumi, so she can count them all.” 

“Actually I-” 

They’ll call her stupid for trusting him. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“...I did find the egg, but...” 

Her hands felt so cold. Without thinking, she shoves them in her pockets. Her left hand hit something small. She doesn’t remember putting anything in there? When she grabs it, she has a pretty good idea of what it was, but she still had to see it with her own eyes. It was really there; the egg. The last egg. Everyone looks confused. 

“Is there something wrong?” 

Was she going crazy? No, she was one hundred percent sure that Ouma had the egg before she talked to Maki. But she couldn’t find him afterwards, so, when did he...? How did he...? 

“Oh.” She remembers Maki asked her a question. “No, everything is fine...here.” 

She hands her the egg, which is given to Kirumi. After counting, she had announced they had indeed won. Her team cheered-except Maki, who just rolled her eyes with a smile-but she couldn’t hear any of it. All she could think about was Ouma and the freaking egg. He gave it back to her? He lost on purpose? Kirumi, being the Ultimate Maid, made the food in what seemed like no time at all. And even though everyone else either lost, or weren’t involved on the bet, Kaito invites everyone to the party. Obviously, they all accept and gather in the kitchen to eat. All but one. The food was great and the party was fun, but she couldn’t stay focused. This is what she wanted, something fun to do with everyone. But the whole day she seemed to be distracted. She wondered where he was? Rantaro happened to be sitting next to her, so she tugs on his sleeve. Once she has his attention, she hesitated. How can she ask this without making it sound weird or suspicious? 

“Everyone is here except Ouma, that’s kind of weird isn’t it?” 

He looks around. 

“That is kind of strange.” 

“...You don’t think he’s up to something do you? Do you know where he is?” 

“Um...he might be in his room? If he isn’t then, I don’t know.” 

She takes a plate of cake, silently slips out of the kitchen and walks to the dorms. Hopefully he was in his room, if he wasn’t then maybe she’d just leave it outside his door? No, wait, that’s gross. When she gets to his door, she reaches for the bell but notices that it’s slightly open. She’s immediately concerned. 

“Ouma?” She gently pushes the door open. “Are you in here?” 

It was quiet. He probably just left in a hurry and forgot to close the door. She’ll just leave the plate on his bed or something. It’s only when she’s completely inside his room that she realized how weird this was. His room was littered with random objects, complete with a board with everyone’s picture on it. There were a few notes by each picture, except for hers. But it didn’t seem completely blank, there were smudges; as if he had something there, but recently erased it. 

“Okaaay?” She wanted to hurry and leave. 

She walks over to his bed to set the cake down but freezes. He was in it, sleeping. This was wrong, she definitely should not be here. Put the cake on the table, and leave. Put the cake on the table, and leave. That was all she had to do. But she couldn’t move, she stayed there, looking at him. It was just so strange to her how someone’s face can look so peaceful and innocent while they were asleep. Ouma always had that look in his eyes, and a smile that masked the truth; but this Ouma in front of her, was someone completely different. She took in all of his features: eyes, nose, his eyelashes, lips, hair, forehead, lips, ears, lips-why did she keep looking at his lips?! Stop looking at his lips, that’s weird. He suddenly shifts in his sleep and a lock of hair falls in front of his eye. She takes a step closer with a sudden urge to move it out of his face; without thinking, she does so, tucking the lock behind his ear. She freezes, realizing what she had just done. Okay! This was getting too creepy. It was already weird, but now it was just creepy. She places the cake on the table, and was ready to leave until she hears him shifts again. When she looks at him, he’s sitting up, looking right back at her. She absolutely wants to die. He continues to stare at her through half-lidded eyes. It doesn’t look like he’s completely awake yet. 

“Are you actually here or am I dreaming again?” He says, silently. 

'Again?' Does he normally have dreams where people break into his room? 

“You’re dreaming.” She says simply. 

“...You’re not a good liar.” 

“Not as good as you, anyways.” She grabs the hem of her skirt, no longer able to hold eye contact. “I didn’t see you at the party so I grabbed you some cake. Your door was open and I was worried so I-” 

“Came in my room?” 

He sounded so tired and confused. 

“Yeah.” 

“Because you were worried about me?” 

She nods. He lets out a short, exhausted laugh. 

“Wh-what? Why are you laughing? You don’t believe me? I swear, I only wanted to-” 

“No, I’m laughing _because_ I believe you.” 

“What does that mean?” 

He’s quiet for a moment. 

“What did you want?” 

To share the cake Kirumi had made, didn’t she already say that? Oh, but now that she thinks about it, that may have not been the real reason. Since she was already here, she might as well ask. 

“Why did you give it back?” 

She was ready for him to question what she was talking about, or to lie, or joke, or even refuse to answer. 

“Because I felt bad.” 

She was not ready for that. 

“...Fine. If you don’t want to tell me the truth, then I won’t make you.” 

She turns and begins to walk away. 

“Did you think that someone had murdered me?” He asks, when she’s at the door. 

She doesn’t answer; she exits and closes the door behind her. Murder? No, she saw everyone in the kitchen, she would've noticed if someone had slipped away. She knew it wasn’t murder, but she doesn’t know why she was scared, she just was. What she did know, was that the only thing she was scared of right now, were her thoughts and feelings she couldn’t understand.


	8. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been forever since I've updated this (I'm sorry, I've been crazy busy) so I tried to make this chapter a bit longer  
> Thank you all for your support :)

There was a light tap on her door; so light she questioned if it was just her imagination. But there was another, and another after that. That couldn’t be someone....knocking? Could it? She hears it again and takes it as a sign to just open the door and find out for herself. As soon as she steps outside, something small hits her stomach and falls to the ground. 

“Himiko! Finally!” 

It’s too early for this. Directly across from her on the other side of the room, was Ouma, leaning over the rail with a pebble in his hand. 

“Were you throwing rocks at my door...?”

“Yeah! How else was I supposed to get your attention?”

“...You...could’ve used my doorbell. Or knocked.”

“That’s boring! Besides, I already had these pebbles so I thought ‘I might as well use them!’”

“Why do you have pebbles with you?” 

“I was going to use them for a prank but I can’t find Ryoma.”

They stare at each other in silence for a moment. 

“ _Are you going to tell me why you were throwing rocks at my door_?!” 

“Uh, because I wanted you to come out your room?” He says, like it’s obvious. 

“You’re...you’re doing this on purpose.”

“Maybe.” He smiles. 

It was like he lived to annoy her. 

“If you’re not going to tell me what you want then-” She takes a step back towards her room. 

“I’m bored, Himiko! Can’t you show me some of your magic or something? Let’s go find someone to prank with your tricks!” 

Ah, so this was his way of saying he wanted to hang out. She wasn’t certain, considering she was usually the one to initiate any time they spent together. Other times he would just approach her when she was alone and bug her.

“How about we find something else to do, rather than pranking someone.” 

She closes her door and walks down the stairs; he copies and they meet in the middle. 

“You never want to prank anyone!” 

“We can go to the casino and play the arcade games? That’s not boring, right? I heard Rantaro is getting pretty good at the racing one.” 

She leads the way outside and together they walk to the casino. It was still pretty early, it looked like the sun had just settled into its spot in the sky. 

“Oh no! I wonder if he took down my high score?” 

She wanted to try something. 

“Oh, no one told you? He already did. Kaede was there, she told me about it.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” He says immediately.

“What? I thought it sounded pretty believable...” 

He puffs out a breath, like he’s trying to hide his struggle to not laugh. 

“If you knew he passed my high score, you would’ve started with that. You should really leave the lying to the professionals, Himiko.” 

“Well, maybe I’m proud that I’m not good at lying to my friends.” 

“Woah, Himiko’s getting defensive! Anyway, who said we’re friends?”

“Then what am I?”

He shrugs.

“A form of entertainment?” 

She looks at him. He’s smiling but he keeps his gaze forward. She could only hope he was joking. 

“I wish you wouldn’t say that...aren’t we friends?”

“Of course, Himiko! You should know that you’re my bestest friend! You're my favorite! I'd die for you!” He says over dramatically. 

Okay, he was absolutely lying now. 

“It doesn’t matter. Just so you know, you’re my friend. Even if I’m not yours.” 

“Hmm...you’re definitely... _something_.” 

Something? What did that mean? 

“What do you m-”

“We’re almost there! I know exactly what game I want to play first! No one will be able to touch my high scores after today. You might as well call me the Ultimate Gamer.”

“I don’t know if that’s a real thing, and if it was, it wouldn’t be you. It’s probably a fat, weird, man.” 

“It could be a girl! And a normal teenager, just like us. Or-” He drags the word out. “it could be me!” 

“It’s definitely not you.” 

“But I’ve never lost a game before.”

“That’s a lie.”

“How do you know? You’ve never played me.”

“You can’t play against each other in the arcade games.”

“I don’t only play arcades games, Himiko. That’s why I’d be the Ultimate Gamer! But you wouldn’t know anything about that, you only play with your silly cards.” 

“We should play with my ‘silly cards’ sometime then, since you never lose.”

“Hah! I wouldn’t challenge the great Himiko in her own element. That’s like asking you to come up with a better lie than me, or to play me in chess.”

But she thought he ‘never lost.’

“I’d play chess with you. I just don’t know how, but I’ve always wanted to learn.”

“That’s not surprising. It is a thinking game, after all.”

“...Hey! I can play a thinking game!”

This time, he does laugh. 

“Maybe I’ll teach you sometime.” He says, sarcastically. 

“You’re lying, but I don’t care. I’ll teach myself if I have to. Then when we play, I’ll win.” 

“Sure. We’ll play in my lab.” 

She looks at him. 

“You’re lying, you don’t have a lab yet.” 

“Huh? I don’t? Then...where did I spend all day yesterday?” 

“...No, you can’t fool me this time, Ouma.” 

“You don’t believe me! Himiko, you’re so mean!”

“Where would it even be? No more sections of the school are left to open up. If you have a lab, then where is it?”

“Hah! I have a better question: You think I’d tell you? We’re not even friends!” He snickers. 

“Stop joking, we are!” 

It doesn’t matter what he says, they were definitely friends. Right...? She didn’t have much time to think about it further; they were already in the casino and heading down the stairs. Surprisingly, there were others already there. Maki, Ryoma and Miu. Ryoma was at the slot machine, with Maki watching; Miu seemed too invested in whatever game she was playing to even notice they were there. 

“This is an interesting group.” 

“I’m only here because Kaito forced me to come.” Maki says, quickly. “He said he’d meet me here. They were already here when I arrived.”

“Ryoma! You’ve been here this whole time? Jeez, this was the only place I didn’t check for you!”

“You were looking for me?” He says, keeping his eyes on the screen. “Why?”

“Nishishi! No reason!”

Ouma walks over to a game and immediately begins to play. She was going to watch him play, but notices how bored Maki appeared to be. 

“Don’t you ever play any of the games?” 

Maki simply shakes her head. 

“Not my thing.” 

In that moment she realizes that although they-along with Shuichi, Kaede and Kaito-are together very often, there’s not much she knows about her. Now she feels kind of bad...she should make a better effort to get to know her friends more. 

“What do you normally do for fun?” 

Maki looks at the ground, apparently thinking it over, then looks at her. 

“I usually just hang out with you guys.” She smiles at her-well-a Maki smile. 

And she smiles back. She should hang out with Maki more. 

“I think you should give it a try, Maki!”

“Huh? Give what a try?”

“The games! I think you’d be good at the shooting one.” She grabs her hand and leads her to said game.

“I-I don’t know how-”

“It’s easy, I’ll show you.”

Just as she expected, Maki was great at it. It took her no time to learn how to play, and once she did, she seemed to enjoy it. Whoever had the high score before Maki, would have a lot of work to do if they wanted their spot back. After some time, Ouma found his way over to them. She thinks he was originally planning on annoying Maki, or trying to distract her until she lost; but he too, became entranced with how well she was doing. They both stood in silence, watching Maki. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but suddenly hearing Tenko’s voice was pulling her out of her dream-like state of watching Maki. 

“Ouma? Is he in here?!” 

Now she was fully attentive. If Tenko was looking for Ouma, that couldn’t be good. At all. Ouma hears her too, and they both simultaneously look in her direction. 

“Oh great! Your girlfriend is here.” He mumbles. 

“Tenko? What is it, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Ouma! He’s what’s wrong!”

“Hah? I haven’t even seen you today? What could I have possibly-oh wait.” He winced. “You found out about the hair, didn’t you?”

“My hair? Wh-what did you do to my-what's wrong with my hair?” She frantically grabs her hair and inspects it. “What did he do, Himiko? What did he do?!”

“He-” She has to pause to hold in a snicker. “He didn’t do anything, Tenko. He’s lying, your hair is fine.”

Tenko lets out a frustrated sigh. 

“You really want me to hurt you, don’t you?” 

“You never told us what’s wrong? What did Ouma do to you this time?” Maki says, apparently finished with the game. 

“It’s not what he did to me, it’s what he did to Angie!”

“Angie?”

Behind Tenko, Kaito makes his way down the stairs and over to their group. 

“Sorry I’m late, Maki-roll. I ran into Tenko and she was asking me if I knew where Ouma was, so I was helping her-”

“Wait, wait, wait. What happened to Angie?”

Tenko crosses her arms and looks at Ouma.

“Why don’t you tell her what you did?”

“Alright, fine. Last night I snuck into Angie’s room and I shaved off all of her hair. There.”

“That’s not-” Tenko sighs. “You ruined Angie’s painting!”

“He did?”

“I did?”

“Yes! He did! Angie’s been cooped up in her lab for a really long time. I think she’s even been sleeping in there sometimes. She told me she’s been working on a very big project. This morning I went to her lab to check on her, but I didn’t know she was eating breakfast, so her lab was completely empty. But her big painting that she had been working on was messily covered in white and black paint. Now Kaede and Shuichi are trying to stall her and keep her away from her lab. She’s been working really hard on that and he ruined it for a stupid prank!”

“Just hearing it again makes me angry!” Kaito says. 

“You’ve crossed a line, Kokichi.” Maki says silently. 

“Jeez! I can’t believe you guys found out about that already, I wanted Angie to be the one to see it first! It took a lot of work to sneak up to her lab and ruin her painting. How boring! Except that’s a lie, of course. I didn’t even know she was working on something!”

“Your lies won’t work this time, Ouma. It couldn’t have been anyone else but you. Even the colors, black and white? You didn’t even try to hide it!”

After hearing Tenko’s story, anyone here would decide that Ouma was-without a doubt-the one who ruined the painting. And they did. Except, she wasn’t just ‘anyone’ she was his friend. And she knew something they didn’t. 

“Ouma couldn’t have done it.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because we’ve been together ever since this morning.” 

“Nishishi! You guys can’t trust me because I’m a liar, but surely you believe Himiko, don’t you?” 

“Himiko, I’m not saying that you’re lying, but I think you might be underestimating him.” Maki says softly.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think it’s possible that he could’ve snuck into her just before he met you?”

“...No, it was pretty early.”

“He still could’ve snuck in, ruined the painting, and met you immediately afterwards. Actually, maybe he only met with you at all so it would seem unlikely that he was the culprit. Then came here to get as far away from Angie as he could.”

That can’t be true. That would mean that...he was just using her...? She shakes her head. 

“But before he came to me, he was looking for Ryoma-”

“That easily could’ve been a lie.”

...It _was_ weird that this was the first time he had asked her to hang out. But there was still a lot of things that didn’t make sense. If he had just came back from ruining Angie’s painting, wouldn’t some paint-at least-have been on his hands? And if he did do it, why didn’t he go straight to her door? If he was in a rush to use her as a cover up, he wouldn’t have taken the time to gather rocks and stand by his door, across the room. Besides, Ouma never hides from his pranks; he likes to make it obvious it was him, and stay close to see their reaction. He likes being chased because he likes always getting away. And _she_ was the one who suggested coming to the arcade.

“I just really don’t think that he-”

“Himiko, are you defending him? It’s obvious that he did it! He did something wrong, he could at least apologize for it!”

They all stare at her. Kaito had a point. If he was the one who did it, then she’d be defending someone who did something mean then used her to try to get out of it. 

“N-no, I’m not...defending him, I just-” 

She looks at Ouma, who’s been increasingly silent. He was looking at her with an emotion she couldn’t quite understand. It was like he was looking directly into her mind; like he knew something about her that she didn’t. 

“Ouma, just-” Her throat feels dry. “did you do it?” 

“What do you think?” He says, so silently she wonders if anyone else heard him. 

It didn’t sound sarcastic, it sounded like he was genuinely asking her. Of course she thinks he didn’t do it but... 

“...I don’t know if you’re lying or not.” She says sympathetically. 

“Hm? That doesn’t mean I did it.” 

“I mean...no, but...” 

It’s because of his lying habit that she can’t tell when he’s telling the truth or not. 

“Oh! There’s already a crowd here.”

They all turned. It was Kaede, Shuichi and Angie.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We were trying to distra-uh...convince...Angie to take a break from the uh, the painting.”

“Maybe _this_ ” Tenko gestures to Ouma. “isn’t the best place to do that.” She says through her teeth.

Clearly frustrated at Shuichi only. 

“Angie!” Ouma walks right up to her. “Listen, someone screwed up your painting that you’ve been working on-”

“Ouma!”

“What?! You can’t keep her from her lab forever. Listen, I didn’t do it, and I can’t think of anyone here who would have the balls to. So, what _really_ happened?”

“Why are you asking her? She hasn’t even seen it yet.”

“My painting? Oh! You’re not talking about the one covered in white and black paint, are you?”

“Wait, you know about that?”

“Of course! I’m the one who did it!”

Silence

“You...did it?” 

“Nya, ha, ha! Atua told me to!”

“So, you threw paint on your own painting that you were working on for days, because Atua told you to?”

“I was already thinking about trashing it and starting a new one anyway! I only painted over it because I was thinking of turning it into an all black and white painting! But I changed my mind.”

“See? So Ouma didn’t do it after all!”

She knew he couldn’t have.

“I guess not.” Kaede says. 

“Great. Now that that’s all cleared up, can we get out of here?” Maki walks past everyone and towards the stairs. 

Everyone follows her, seemingly dropping the subject as fast as it was presented. Himiko sighs and glances at Ouma. 

“I’m glad that’s over.”

“Mhm!” He says...cheerfully.

Almost too cheerfully? Or was she over thinking? 

“We should get out of here too...did you still want to prank-” 

“Nah.” 

“Is...everything alright?”

“Why wouldn’t everything be alright?”

“I don’t know, you just seem kind of...upset.”

It wasn’t what he was saying, it wasn’t even how he was saying it, it was his eyes. You can lie about a lot of things, but she doesn’t think even he can lie about the raw emotions that are shown through eyes. He turns to look at her fully.

“Huh? You think I’m upset? Like somethings bothering me? Nishishi, you shouldn’t make random accusations. What reason would I have to be angry?” 

It sounded rhetorical, but it felt like he actually wanted her to answer. But why? What did she do wrong? 

“Because I asked if you messed with the painting?” 

That couldn’t be it. Why would he be upset that she couldn’t tell if he was lying or not? Even Shuichi struggles with decoding his lies. He stays quiet; he’s thinking, she can tell. 

“I...I’m not sure what I did, but I’m sorry. Please don’t be upset.”

He laughs...it's fake.

“Why are you apologizing if you don’t even know why you’re doing it? If you didn’t do anything wrong, then you didn’t do anything wrong.” 

She’s starting to wonder if he’s even upset, and this is all just another lie to entertain him. 

“I’m apologizing because we’re friends, and if you’re upset because-”

“Friends?” He says it as if he actually doesn’t know the word.

“Well we are...right?”

He just looks at her and she’s silently begging for him to just hurry and say something.

“Hmm~" He pauses. "You tell me~” 

She changed her mind, she would rather him stay quiet then to have said that. She’s said multiple times that she sees them as friends, so she has no idea what he meant. But before she could ask, he sighs, places his arms behind his head and leaves. He says nothing to her he just...leaves. She had the strangest feeling that it was probably best if she left him alone. At least until she figured out what she did wrong. She that’s what she decided to do. 

-

What she didn’t realize was how long it would take; it’s already been three days. It wasn’t like he was avoiding her either, she would actually see him often. He just...wouldn’t talk to her, and she’s been too nervous to try talking to him. At first, she thought it would be a good idea to spend time with her friends who she feels like she’s been neglecting, even though she knows she hasn’t. But now she just feels guilty because all she can think about is what she did wrong and how she could fix it. 

“Okay, would you rather,” Kaede starts. 

Kaede, Shuichi, Maki, Kaito, were outside, asking each other ‘would you rather’ questions for some time now. She wasn’t paying enough attention to hear them all, but she caught a few. Apparently, Kaito would skinny dip with a stranger’s grandma; she doesn’t remember what the other option was, but either way, he was never living that down. 

“That’s hard.” Shuichi answers. “I’d have to go with a crab.” 

She missed the question again. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, because if anything, you can just tie up the claws.” 

She brings her knees into her chest and lays her head on them, facing to the side; as soon as she does, she sees two figures in the distance. Lifting her head up, she could see it was Ouma and Keebo. Wow, great timing; was it actually impossible to stop thinking about him? Having some piece of mind would be nice. It looked like he was annoying Keebo, as usual. He probably came outside to get away from him. Ouma laughs as Keebo protests, frustrated. Ouma paces around him then stops, facing her direction. Her body reacts before her mind could, and she shoots up to her feet, in hopes that he would see her. To acknowledge her, to look her in her eyes, just to remember she exists or something. He doesn’t notice her, his eyes stay fixed on Keebo. Eventually, Keebo sighs and heads back inside, with Ouma right on his trail. They both disappear from her sight. 

“Himiko? What is it?” 

Shuichi’s voice snaps her out of it. They’re all looking at her, probably confused as to why she’s been quiet this whole time, then suddenly stands and freezes like she saw a lion in the distance. 

“Oh, uh. I was going to get some water but I changed my mind.” She sits back down. 

“Why not? Don’t feel like going? I’ll go get it for you.” Kaito stands. “C’mon Shuichi.” 

“Why do I have to go too?”

“Because there’s five of us and I only have two hands.”

“I’ll go too.” Kaede stands and stretches.

As soon as the others were out of ear shot, Maki looks at her. 

“Himiko, what’s wrong?”

She wasn’t expecting her to ask.

“Nothing.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

So she’s been told.

“I think Ouma’s mad at me and I-” She groans. “I can’t figure out why.” 

“What makes you think he’s mad at you?” 

“He started acting all weird after I asked if he had ruined Angie’s painting. I know he didn’t do it but...I’ve felt sure of a lot of things before, only to find out that they were just lies. I just wanted to be sure. And whenever I ask him if we’re friends, I can never get a straight answer.”

“You expect a straight answer...from _Ouma_?”

“...I guess not.”

There’s a short pause. 

“I’m not an expert on...feelings. But, you should just talk to him. He’s probably just upset because he feels like you were against him or something.”

Could that really be the reason? It felt like there was something deeper that she’s missing.

“You’re right, I should try talking to him again.” 

She realizes how helpful Maki was being, especially considering she wasn’t...the biggest fan of Ouma. But despite that, Maki was still trying to help her and give her advice so she could fix her friendship. 

“...Thank you, Maki. That was good advice and I appreciate it.”

“...Don’t thank me yet.” She grabs her hair, flustered. “You’re my friend too, you know. I don’t like seeing you unhappy.”

Himiko smiles ear to ear. 

Soon the others return with water and reclaim their spots. It’s best if she tried to forget about the situation entirely, at least for right now. She should enjoy her other friends too. 

“Alright where did we leave off?” Kaito says, sitting down.

“I’ve got a good one,” Himiko starts. “Would you rather...”

-

The rest of the day was spent trying to find Ouma. No matter where she looked, he was nowhere to be found. She’s asked everyone if they’ve seen them but the answer was always the same. Either he has special hiding rooms, or he was inside his supposed research lab; she’s willing to bet that it was the latter. There was no use looking for it, she knew that much. But she wanted to talk to him today. She _could_ wait by his room. He’d have to sleep eventually, right? Unless he just...slept inside his lab. The sun was barely setting when she entered the dorms, climbed the stairs, and sat outside his door. The wait begins. What would she even say once he showed up? Now would be a good time to get her thoughts in order, especially considering she still wasn’t quite sure about what made him upset to begin with. It couldn’t be about his lies...she refused to believe that he would get upset because she couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. That’s an everyday thing for him. So, what was it? The accusation? Why would it matter? She remembers what Maki told her. 

‘He’s probably just upset because he feels like you were against him-’ 

But he should already know by now that she wasn’t against him. Actually, she’s probably the only one ever on his side. It wasn’t as if she’s never defended him before either. Like when...that one time where...? When she...? Why is her mind going blank? There _was_ a time where she was on his side, right? Right? Why couldn’t she remember? They’re friends, there had to have been a time. Then realization hits her like a truck. There wasn’t a time. She was never completely on his side. Whenever someone asked if she was defending him, she would get nervous and say she wasn’t. She was scared of them turning against her, even if she knew that he was innocent. Actions speak louder than words, and she hasn’t been acting like a friend; but she always tells him that she is. No wonder he’s hesitant to answer. She yawns. She wonders if he thinks she’s just around him as an obligation. If he wonders if her feelings are even real. Ah, her f-feelings of friendship, of course. She yawns again and closes her eyes, getting lost in thought. Not even five minutes later, she feels something gently pushing her leg. No, someone’s lightly _kicking_ her leg. She opens her eyes. It’s him. 

“How long have you’ve been here?” 

His voice was so quiet; so...monotone. Maybe he didn’t want to see her or something. 

“Oh, uh, maybe about five minutes, o-or less...” 

“Five minutes? You were asleep.”

“No, I wasn’t. I was just thinking-” She looks outside; It was dark now. “...Huh?! Wait, how long was I here for?!”

“That’s what I was asking-”

“That’s,” She stands. “Look, that’s not important. I wanted to apologize...again. B-but this time will be different.”

He stays silent. So, she continues.

“I know what I did wrong.” She really hopes she was right, at least. “Whether I’m your friend or not, it doesn’t matter. You’re mine. But I’ve been a really bad friend to you. It’s very hypocritical of me to act this way and expect you to call me your friend. Every time somethings comes up, about you, I never give you a chance. I never defend you, I’m never on your side. I know you lie, but, I also know you’re not just...mean. You prank, annoy and frustrate but, destroying a painting that Angie had been working all day and night on? I might be wrong, but I don’t think you would do that. You _didn’t_ do that. And I knew you didn’t. I knew, and I did nothing, except accused you.” 

She looks away and takes a deep breath. 

“I think I’m worried about how the others will treat me if I go against them, especially if I’m taking your side. But friends are friends, and you can’t have a friendship without taking the good and the bad that comes with it.” She starts to feel increasingly guilty as his silence continues; she faces him again. “I’m sorry, Ouma.” 

She searches his face for something...anything, but there’s nothing. Just...blank. Oh no, was she wrong? Was that not why he was angry? Or was it just not enough? Maybe her apology wasn’t genuine enough? 

“...I’m really, really, sorry. It’s dumb for me to feel pressured into not being a good friend.” She checks again, still nothing; now she’s starting to cry. “I-I promise I’ll change and it’ll never happen again. I’ll be a better person, just like how I promised before...I won’t mess up again. I’m still learning how to have friends and I’ll make a promise to you if you want, I'll do anything just, please don’t be mad at me anymore!” 

Her crying prevents her from talking further. Even the act of crying in front of him was embarrassing enough to make her cry more. She wipes her tears-though they are quickly replaced with new ones-and waits for him to say something. But he doesn’t. He goes inside his room and closes the door. He just, left. She did something wrong; she messed up again. She apologized for the wrong reason, she wasn’t sincere enough. She leans on the railing, closes her eyes, and tries to stop crying. She’s not doing a good job. Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder, turning her away from the rail. He came back? She didn’t even hear him come out of his room. He takes a step closer and uses his sleeve to gently wipe her eyes, she has to remind herself to breathe. After a slight pause he then holds out his other hand and shows her what it was holding; something she didn’t recognize. It looked like two oddly shaped needles? She was confused, was he still mad? He looks at her, eyes bright, and he smiles. 

“Follow me.” 

That’s all he says before he turns and begins to walk away. Of course, she follows. He leads her outside the dorms and back into the school. They were on the second floor and she still had no idea where they were going. She just continues to follow behind, occasionally looking at the back of his head.

“You’re quiet.”

She looks at him surprised. What was she supposed to say?

“...Sorry, just thinking, I guess.”

He snickers.

“About what?”

“Where we’re going, what you’re trying to do or show me...if you’re still mad at me...” She was dying to know if things would return to normal.

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious?” 

“Well I’ve recently learned that I can’t always assume things.” Even though she was pretty sure that he was, in fact, not mad at her anymore; it still would be nice to hear it. “I just wanted to be sure and hear it straight from the source.” 

“Himiko’s seeking confirmation? From me, the liar? Nishishi, you might be in over your head.” 

“I guess so...” 

Silence. 

“...I’m not.” 

She almost missed it, but she knew for a fact that if she asked him to repeat it, he wouldn’t. She smiles and sighs in relief knowing that she apologized correctly, that she made a mistake and was able to fix it. She was glad that he wouldn’t constantly be on her mind anymore because she knew that her guilt was the only reason why he was. But if he wasn’t mad, where was he taking her? 

“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” 

“Just relax and enjoy our leisurely walk.” 

“I can’t enjoy anything if I don’t even know where we’re going! I might as well take a ‘leisurely walk’ back to the dorms.” 

He smirks. 

“You say that as if you don’t _want_ to come with me. You did say ‘where _we’re_ going,’ right? Not 'where _you’re taking me_.’ Himiko’s so mean and unappreciative! If you really don’t want to come then-” 

He stops walking and gestures to the stairs behind them, with a smile. Of course, she wanted to come along. He was just so cocky and she hated it. Of course, it only made it worse that he had every single right to be, considering he was almost never wrong. And if he was, he probably covered it so well you’d think he wasn’t. 

“This better not be a prank.” She walked past him, trying to repress her smile and pretend to be disinterested but she’s not sure how well she did. 

“Nishi! That’s what I thought.” He now follows her with his hands behind his head. “Just keeping going up the floors.” 

They continued climbing higher and higher, floor after floor, having meaningless conversations. Somewhere in that conversation, they had found out they both own hats and capes; Himiko automatically assumed he was lying, since she’s never seen either of these items. He told her he hasn’t had a reason to wear them, and it’s been in his lab but he’d be sure to show it to her someday. 

“Show what? Your cape and hat? Or your lab?” 

“Doesn’t matter, it was a lie! I’m not showing you neither! But you’re really interested in my lab all of a sudden, which is interesting in itself considering you didn’t even believe it existed.” 

“No...I believe you. It makes sense that you’d have a lab, and I want to see it. You owe me from all those times I let you hang out in mine.”

“You believe me?” He scoffed. “Himiko, you’re so gullible. Y’know, if you continue to be this gullible...you’ll be _killed_ before you know it. Understand?”

She stops walking. His whole tone had changed to a serious one. It wasn’t scary, but it was...unsettling. It was unsettling how commanding and powerful it felt. It sounded like how she imagined he would sound if he was playing into his Ultimate supreme leader role, which she still was unclear about. She felt a sudden urge to just nod her head, obey and agree with whatever he was saying; but she represses it. 

“Don‘t say that. No one’s participating in the killing game.”

“That may be what you think, but you can never know what everyone else is thinking, can you? I may be ‘the liar’ but that doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t capable of lying as well. I won’t ignore the possibility that no one would be willing to commit murder, but it’s definitely not wise to ignore the possibility that someone could.” His voice had returned to normal and he shrugs as if the topic didn’t matter much to him.

As much as she hated to admit it, he wasn’t wrong. She didn’t want to doubt her friends-and she wasn’t-but it was a very unusual and hopeless situation they were in. Maybe it was just bad enough drive someone to...to not think straight. 

“You’re right. It is possible. But many things are _possible_. I believe that we’ll all escape together. I’m not ignoring the truth of our situation, or what _could_ happen; this is just one of the possibilities that I choose to believe in.” 

She sees him looking at her, perhaps deep in thought, but she continues walking through the school. They climb up the last set of stairs to the fifth-and last-floor. 

“So now what do we do? You’d better not try to convince me to steal Tsumugi’s clothes, or Shuichi’s poison or something.” 

“Nothing like that.” He walks across the floor and leads them to a door. 

“Isn’t this a closet?” 

“Why would I take us all the way up here, just so I could show you a closet?”

“Oh, so you want to show me something. Why didn’t you just say that from the start?”

“Hm? Didn’t I?” 

“You didn’t. On purpose.” 

He kneels down near the door, pulls out those needle-things he had showed her earlier, and sticks them in the keyhole. 

“Aren’t we going to get in trouble for breaking into...whatever room this is?”

“Relax.”

“Just hurry, I feel like someone’s going to catch us.” 

“You’re not used to this sort of thing are you?” 

“If you mean breaking and entering, then no. I’m not used to this.”

He stops what he’s doing and looks at her.

“...Come here.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re going to pick this lock.” He hands her his lock pick.

“What?! No, I don’t know how! I’ve never picked a lock before and I don’t want to get in trouble.” Despite her objections she takes it and kneels next to him. 

“It’s not that hard.” 

He walked her through the process; she’s surprised she could even focus at all with his hands constantly holding hers, showing her how to do it correctly. Why was it so distracting? Before she knew it, she had the door open. 

“Oh...it _wasn’t_ hard.” 

“Yeah, I said that. I wasn’t lying that time.” 

They both stand and she holds out his lock pick for him to take, but he shakes his head. 

“Keep it; I have more. You’ll never know you when you need it, nishishi.” 

“I’ll never need it. I don’t break into people’s rooms or random locked doors like you do. I’m not a criminal.”

“Not now. But I’ll make one out of you yet.”

She glares at him, but puts it in her jacket pocket once she realized he really wasn’t going to take it back. He gestures to the door; she cautiously opens it and peeks inside the room...except it wasn’t a room at all, it was a narrow staircase. 

“Have you been here before?” 

She could just tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to answer her; instead of delaying the inevitable, she begins to climb the stairs with him behind her. She hears him close and lock the door behind them. 

“You’re not planning on killing me, are you?” 

“Who knows? If I wanted to kill you, I would have already...that’s what you want me to say, right? That’s what you’re thinking, right?”

“Am I wrong?”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

She rolls her eyes and continues her ascension. Soon she reaches another door; she looks over her shoulder at him. 

“Go on, it’s unlocked.”

She hated the way he spoke with such confidence. Not: ‘It _should_ be unlocked,’ but ‘it _is_ unlocked.’ What if it wasn’t? What if someone came up here and locked it? The kubs could’ve done it easily, especially if they saw him sneaking around here on the cameras. She smiles to herself and twists the doorknob.

“You’re such a liar, it’s locked. Were you just trying to embarrass me?” 

“Nice try, you can’t lie to the liar.” 

She turns towards him. 

“I’m serious. It’s locked.” She looks at him with the most serious-looking face she could muster. 

He just looks at her for a moment, blinks, then smiles.

“Open the door, Himiko.” He says confidently

She breaks her cover and smiles. 

“Did I get ya? I had you worried, right? Just for a second huh, Ouma?” 

“No.” 

He laughs, only a little, and once more she’s able to catch a glimpse of his real laughter. Hearing it made her happy. She finally opens the door and steps through. 

“Oh, wait...this is the roof?!” 

“What do you think?”

“How are you able to come up here? I didn’t even know we had a door that leads to the roof. Isn’t this off limits?”

“It’s not in the rules, but it is still a locked door. So, you’d automatically assume it’s totally off limits, right? But I figured they gave me lock picks, so I’m pretty sure I’m free to use them at my discretion.” 

“’Pretty sure?’ Haven’t you been here before?!” 

He shakes his head. 

“What if it is off limits and the kubs are getting their machines?” 

“If that’s the case, they sure are taking a long time.” 

...That’s true. If they’ve broken a rule, the kubs would’ve been there in an instant. 

“So, why did you take me to this place that you’ve never been to before?” 

“I thought we could experience this new place together!”

“Aren’t you thoughtful.”

“Aren’t I?”

“I don’t believe you for a second.”

“That’s fair. Anyways, come this way.” He grabs her hand and pulls her towards the edge of the-very large-roof.

She’s grown used to the sensation she gets. 

“W-wait that’s too close-” She looks over the edge at the ground that was so far away.

“You’re scared of heights?”

“I’m scared of falling to my death. What are you trying to show me?”

“Stop looking down and you’d see.”

She tears her eyes away from the ground and forces herself to look around.

“Oh.”

The view was amazing; everything looked so pretty from up there. Especially the moon, which for some reason just seemed brighter and closer. The blue-ish tint and way the moon illuminated everything around them, was something that couldn’t have been appreciated from the ground.

“Wow, everything looks so pretty, don’t you think?” He says nothing. “Ouma?”

She turns to him just in time to see him look away and laugh to himself. 

“What? Why are you laughing at me?” When he doesn’t answer, she changes the subject. “I thought you said you’ve never been here before? How’d you know exactly where to go then?” 

“Do you even need me to answer at this point?”

“Right. It was a lie.”

She was pretty sure it was a lie from the beginning, but sometimes she just liked playing the part. She returned her gaze to the vast space below her. 

“Why did you bring me here?” 

“I don’t know.” He says simply. 

It didn't seem like he was lying. 

“Well, thank you. This is nice. There’s been a lot going on.” 

“A lot going on? What do _you_ have to worry about?” 

“What?” 

She had realized what she just said; she didn’t even know why she said it, she didn’t mean it. There has been a lot on her mind lately, but it’s just...confusing emotions she doesn’t really understand. But of course she couldn’t tell him about that. 

“Oh, uh, you know. Just...things.” 

He eyes her and smiles. 

“Riiight. Okay.” 

“Don’t sound so sarcastic! I really do have a lot on my mind. It’s bothersome and confusing and-and annoying and sometimes I can’t sleep so I’ve been really tired during the day and I sometimes I want to talk to someone about it but I can’t so I have to try to figure it out by myself and-” She stops herself; she shouldn’t say so much. 

She tries to think of what she should say next but before she could, he grabs her hand again. Oh great, where were they going now? She prepares herself to get pulled and dragged off to another place, as he often does with her, but he doesn’t. He just...holds her hand? Luckily, the burning was a lot easier to ignore, but it didn’t really matter since her face also felt like it was on fire. 

“...What are you doing?” 

“Jeez, Himiko. I’m holding your hand?” He let’s go. “That’s what friends do when they’re upset or something, right?”

Friends? Friends! He did say that, right? She wasn’t imagining it? Not only that, but there was a small piece of evidence through innocent curiosity that showed he was actually trying. It felt so genuine...or maybe that’s just what he wanted her to think. Maybe he was just trying to tease her, make her think he sees her as a friend when he didn’t, maybe he was just lying. But she wanted to believe that he-in his own way-was trying, too. She wanted to take his hand back into hers, but she hesitated because...because? She couldn’t think of a good reason not too; she should be braver. She wanted to start doing what she wanted to do, no matter the nervousness she’d feel. So, she takes his hand back into hers and interlock their fingers. She immediately regretted it. Her heart was racing, her thoughts were scattered, why did she think it was a good idea to be brave?

“You’re right. Thank you.” 

She could only hope she sounded calm on the outside, because she was an absolute mess on the inside. She waits for him to laugh at her or tease her, to tell her he didn’t really care or they weren’t really friends and to pull his hand away. But he doesn’t. He stays silent and she’s too scared to look at him. 

“How come you always ask me questions, but I can never ask you anything?” She asks, desperate to fill the silence. 

“What?”

"You never answer my questions. I know you only tell the truth-like-once a year, but what’s wrong with telling the truth...three times a year?” She joked. “Maybe I can have a certain amount of questions I can ask and you’d have to answer-”

“Jeeeez, you’re annoying. When did you get so bold?” 

“Now that I know we’re friends, it’s not fair that I hardly know anything about you. You know pretty much everything about me.”

“Not everything. But, alright. Ask me something.”

“Really? Will you actually answer? Honestly?”

“Probably not.”

She thinks for a moment. 

“What was your childhood like? What were your parents like? Do you have any sib-” 

“Woah, woah, woah, _what_?”

“What?”

He laughs.

“You’re joking, right? I thought you were going to ask-like-uh...’what’s your favorite color?’ Or ‘what’s your favorite fruit-’ 

“I can find that out on my own! I’m not wasting my one free question-” 

“-which is of course: starfruit, passionfruit and kumquats.” 

“That’s definitely a lie. Your favorite fruit wouldn’t be one of those weird, nasty, complicated fruits.” 

“Nasty? Don’t insult my favorite fruits! Especially kumquats.”

“ _You’re a kumquat_.”

“Damn.”

“I don’t know what I was expecting. I knew you weren’t going to answer.”

“Hey! Your expectations are way too high, especially for your first question! I’m still me, you know? But even if I wasn’t me, asking _anyone_ about their childhood is automatically a touchy subject. Can’t you find a happy-medium?”

“A happy-medium? Okay. What...was...hm. What was your organization like? Uh... D.I.C.E, right?” 

“My organization? You know the name?” 

“Well, yeah. Asides from the fact that you never stop talking about your Ultimate, I remember you saying something about your organization before. I remembered the name.” 

“And how long ago was that?” 

“I don’t know? A while ago?”

“Longer than a while ago.”

She remembers she used to be suspicious of everyone and everything in the beginning, who wouldn’t be if you were kidnapped, placed in a closed space and was told to kill each other? One of the first things she thought to do was write down everyone’s names, Ultimates, and any additional information they purposefully-or accidentally-volunteered. She overheard Ouma talking about one of his organizations and its name, so she wrote it down. If a murder was to happen, she thought it could be useful. But the more they started to get to know each other, and the more she realized the killing game wouldn’t happen, she decided her notes were useless. Besides, it’s not like her notes would tell her how to defend herself if someone were to attack her, it wouldn’t tell her who would be more likely to murder, and it definitely didn’t tell her how to escape the school. If anything, if there was a murder and they searched her room, her notes could be seen as suspicious; so she ripped them to pieces and threw them away. She doesn’t actually know why or how she remembered the organizations name. He was right, it was a really long time ago, definitely before she had even considered becoming friends with him. Somehow it just...stuck, she guessed. 

“I guess so. It shouldn’t be a problem talking about them, right? Since you love to brag so much.” 

He thinks for a moment. 

“Sure! I can tell you a little about them. But I’m not promising I won’t lie, nishishi!”

“How many were in your group?”

“Thousands! But...I had a HQ where only eight were allowed. They were the best of the best.”

“Who were they?”

“Wow, Himiko what part of _secret_ organization don’t you get?”

“Well, I already know their leader; so when we get out of here, it shouldn't be too hard to find out for myself.”

“Sure! I'll introduce you to them myself! Except that's a lie.” 

“How did you form D.I.C.E?”

“I can’t tell you that~”

“What do you guys do?”

“Mm-mm.”

“How long have you known them for?”

“Nope.”

“How about you just tell me what you _can_ say about them.” 

“Hmm. There’s not much to say. We did everything together; they were the best disciples a leader could ask for. If I ever escape...they’ll be the first I want to see.” 

He probably misses them a lot. 

"...I’m sorry.” 

“Why? They're probably happy their jerk leader is gone! What about you? I’m curious as to who the Ultimate magician wants to see first.” 

“I don’t know who I’d _actually_ see first, but I wish I could see my master.” 

“You have a master?”

“Had. He was the greatest magician to ever live...he still is, he just...he disappeared and I don’t know where he went. B-But I know he’ll return once he works on his magic!”

It was a little more complicated than that, but she didn’t really feel like getting into it. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Did Ouma just say sorry? And it wasn’t sarcastic or anything? Wow. 

“Don’t be. We’ll escape from this place and see them soon.” 

He hums in agreement, but he didn’t sound too convinced. She opens her mouth to say something but only a sneeze comes out; she didn’t notice how cold it became. It draws his attention to her. 

“Let’s go back.” He releases her hand and walks back towards the door. “It’s getting cold outside now. Tenko would kill me if you got sick and it was my fault!” 

She was getting used to holding his hand, it felt weird once he suddenly took it away. Now she felt extra cold. She follows him back down the stairs and they start their descent down the floors. Straight out asking to hold his hand again would be weird right? But for some reason, she *really* wanted to and she didn’t understand why. 

“You’re quiet again.” He starts. “What’s wrong now?”

“Nothing...my hand is just cold.”

She didn't know why, but she really wanted to hold his hand again. But she wouldn’t push it any further if he didn't get it. He stops walking and looks over his shoulder at her. 

“Himiko’s such a weirdo!”

“W-what?! All I said was my hand-”

“If you want to hold my hand so badly, just say so. I can totally tease you about it later!” He takes her hand into his once more. 

She’s too flustered to say anything back. Together, they walk all the way back through the school and to the dorms, holding hands the whole way. But that’s normal, right? Because that’s what friends do...right?


	9. Crushes

“Thank you again for helping me with this, Himiko.”

“No problem! Ah…what is this for again?”

“Huh? Didn’t I say?”  


“You asked me to meet you in your lab but you never said why.“  


“I just need your measurements. It shouldn’t take much longer.”  


“M-my measurements? Why? You’re not going to force me to try cosplay are you?”  


“No, I’d never force anyone! That’s plain rude. I just like to be prepared! I have outfits for every shape and size!”  


Why would she want to make cosplay if the sizes weren’t her own? She didn’t understand, but Tsumugi is the Ultimate cosplayer for a reason.  


“You never know what can happen, so I like to be prepared! Besides, it keeps me busy.”  


“What do you need me to do?”  


“Just stand still, this won’t take long.”  


Tsumugi walks around collecting things that she needed; measuring tape, a notebook, a pencil. She pulls up a chair with wheels on it, puts the pencil in her mouth, and begins to measure Himiko. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of outfit she was going to make. Maybe she could ask her to make her a really cool magician’s outfit? Then maybe she could put on a magic show for everyone.  


“So, Himiko.” Tsumugi mumbles before taking the pencil out and writing something. “Not that we can clarify or prove how accurate it is, but the calendars say February is coming up.”  


“Okay?”  


“And so is Valentines day!”  


“…. _Okay _….?”  
__

__“So who’s your Valentine?”  
_ _

__“M-My Valentine?! I don’t have one! I don’t even have a crush on anyone!”  
_ _

__“Huh? But I was plain sure you did.”  
_ _

__“Why would you think that?!”  
_ _

__“I’m a shipper! I’ve seen the signs enough times to know when someone has a crush!”  
_ _

__“And you see signs from me?”  
_ _

__“Yes! They way you sometimes get lost in thought and go blank when you’re around people-“  
_ _

__“That’s just because I get distracted easily!”  
_ _

__“Oh…but you’re pretty close with a lot of the boys here…”  
_ _

__Really? The only boys she spends time with is Shuichi, Ouma and Kaito. And Rantaro sometimes. And Keebo on occasion. And Gonta is really sweet too-wait.  
_ _

__“That doesn’t mean anything!”  
_ _

__“Denial is the first-and most powerful-step! It might just be wishful thinking, but my intuitions are usually right!”  
_ _

__“I think you’re just excited for Valentines Day…”  
_ _

__“Ah, is it that obvious?”  
_ _

___Yes _.  
__ _ _

___“I think it will be a fun day, either way.” Tsumugi continues. “I’m sure Kirumi will make chocolates for everyone.”  
_ _ _

___Tsumugi really thinks she likes someone? Did everyone think this as well?  
_ _ _

___“And…there! All done! Thank you, Himiko!” She rolls away in her chair to a desk where she continues to scribble on paper.  
_ _ _

___“You’re welcome. Was that all you needed?”  
_ _ _

___“Mhm!” She nods happily.  
_ _ _

___“Then…I’m glad I could help.” She smiles then walks towards the door.  
_ _ _

___She hesitates once her hand is on the doorknob.  
_ _ _

___“Hm? What’s wrong?”  
_ _ _

___“Nothing! I just-” She was curious. “Who did you think I had a crush on?”  
_ _ _

___“Oh?” Tsumugi is clearly happy to hear this. “You’re curious, huh? It’s plain to see!”  
_ _ _

___Tsumugi’s smug grin made her feel embarrassed.  
_ _ _

___“I’m not saying that I do! I just-“  
_ _ _

___Tsumugi puts a finger to her chin.  
_ _ _

___“Well, with what I’ve learned, the obvious choice is usually the wrong one. And like I said, you’re friends with most of the guys here, so if that’s the case then…I don’t know!”  
_ _ _

___Tsumugi thought she had a crush on someone but didn’t even know who? She just nods and lets herself out. Once she’s outside her lab she realizes something. ‘The obvious choice?’ Who’s the obvious choice? She wanted to go back and ask, but she didn’t want to annoy Tsumugi just to ask her that. Anyways she should to get going; she promised she would see Tenko today. She leaves the building, walks to Tenko’s room and knocks on the door, but she doesn’t answer.  
_ _ _

___“Are you looking for Tenko?”  
_ _ _

___It was Rantaro.  
_ _ _

___“Have you seen her?”  
_ _ _

___“Yeah, I saw her walking to her lab earlier.”  
_ _ _

___“Thank you, Rantaro…I didn’t mean to keep her waiting. Tsumugi’s lab is so far away…”  
_ _ _

___“What were you doing in Tsumugi’s lab?”  
_ _ _

___“I think she wanted to make cosplay for me; or to make cosplay in my size at least. It didn’t take too long. It was mostly the conversation…” She mumbles.  
_ _ _

___Apparently he hears it anyway.  
_ _ _

___“What was the conversation about?”  
_ _ _

___She laughs nervously.  
_ _ _

___“Tsumugi was talking about Valentine’s Day and who mine was going to be.”  
_ _ _

___Rantaro raises his eyebrows, confused, but smiles.  
_ _ _

___“You have a crush on someone?”  
_ _ _

___“No!”  
_ _ _

___“Oh my god, you totally have a crush on someone.”  
_ _ _

___“I don’t!”  
_ _ _

___“That’s adorable.”  
_ _ _

___“I don’t have a crush!”  
_ _ _

___“Denial is the first step.” He winks at her.  
_ _ _

___She puffs out her cheeks, flustered and frustrated. That’s exactly what Tsumugi said.  
_ _ _

___“…I’m going to go find Tenko.”  
_ _ _

___“Alright, good luck with whoever your crush is.”  
_ _ _

___She opens her mouth, closes it, then walks away. She can hear him silently laughing to himself; he was probably just teasing her. Hopefully. She reaches Tenko’s lab. She spent most of the morning talking with Tenko; only leaving to grab a late breakfast by herself. When she arrived, Rantaro, Kaede, and Keebo were already there, whispering among themselves. Kirumi was also there, not participating in the conversation, but listening closely. She wondered what they were talking about. She sits down at the table and begins to eat her breakfast. She closes her eyes and drinks her juice, when they’re open again, everyone is staring at her, knowingly.  
_ _ _

___“Wh-why is everyone looking at me? Is there something on my face?”  
_ _ _

___“I overheard from Rantaro and Tsumugi that you have a crush on someone!” Kaede says, enthusiastically.  
_ _ _

___She glares at Rantaro; he smiles nervously.  
_ _ _

___“This again?”  
_ _ _

___“Who is it, Himiko?”  
_ _ _

___“I don’t like anyone! Not like that.”  
_ _ _

___They all looked at each other, clearly not convinced. She sighs and takes her breakfast with her back to Tenko’s lab. The rest of the morning and some of the afternoon consisted of being asked about her crush by different people. Once the sun starts to set, she says goodbye to Tenko and leaves to meet Ouma on the roof. She barely takes a step before she’s stopped by Tsumugi and Angie.  
_ _ _

___“Atua told me Himiko is in love! How wonderful!”  
_ _ _

___“Why won’t you guys leave me alone?” She groans.  
_ _ _

___“There’s nothing wrong with having a crush! We’ll all support you!”  
_ _ _

___…Maybe if she went along and pretended that she did have a crush, they’d feel satisfied that she admitted it and they would leave her alone. They wouldn’t listen to her when she tried to tell them she didn’t have a crush, so did she really have any other option?  
_ _ _

___“…Really?”  
_ _ _

___“Of course! We’re your friends, after all.”  
_ _ _

___She fakes a deep sigh.  
_ _ _

___“…I was too nervous to admit it…but yes, I do have a crush. But I don’t want to talk about it, I’m still embarrassed! Please, don’t bring it up anymore, I didn’t want anyone to know about it, and I definitely don’t want _him _to know.”  
___ _ _

___“Who is it Himiko?”  
_ _ _

___“Will you tell us?”  
_ _ _

___“We won’t tell!”  
_ _ _

___She shakes her head, pretending to be flustered.  
_ _ _

___“I couldn’t possibly! It’s just a small crush anyways, so I might be over him soon.”  
_ _ _

___They seemed to understand.  
_ _ _

___“Right. We won’t bring it up anymore, sorry Himiko.”  
_ _ _

___“It’s okay…but I have to go now so I’ll see you guys later.”  
_ _ _

___“Bye Himiko! Good luck!”  
_ _ _

___It worked? She wondered if they’ll really leave her alone. But it seemed to be alright for now…thank goodness. She guessed she wasn’t that bad of a liar after all. A crush, huh? In _this _place? Yeah, right.  
-  
___ _ _

___She walks outside and closes the door behind her.  
_ _ _

___“Sorry for taking so long.”  
_ _ _

___“It’s fine, I completely understand.”  
_ _ _

___“You understand?”  
_ _ _

___She just lost track of time, why is he saying he ‘understands’ as if she was busy doing something else important?  
_ _ _

___“Mhm!” He nods. “You lost track of time because you were busy talking to your crush~!”  
_ _ _

___“W-What?!”  
_ _ _

___How did he of all people hear about her fake crush? She knew no one would tell him…so did he overhear it somewhere? Was he purposefully eavesdropping?  
_ _ _

___“Hey, hey, Himiko.” There’s an evil grin on his face. “Just who were you talking to?”  
_ _ _

___“I-I…I wasn’t-“  
_ _ _

___Why did she feel so nervous? She felt weird when everyone else brought it up, but now it felt different. Like it was important for her to convince him she didn’t have a crush on anyone. Probably because she knew_ _ _

___Ouma would tease her nonstop if he thought she had a crush.  
_ _ _

___“Hey, was it Shuichi? I bet it was Shuichi! I’m right aren’t I? Aren’t I?”  
_ _ _

___Now that she thinks about it…why did he even care? She knew she couldn’t lie and convince him she had a crush like she did with the others-he’d figure out she was lying right away-but at the same time, she had a feeling he wouldn’t believe her if she told the truth as well. Was there a way she could answer him without lying, and without telling the truth? Maybe she could mess with him a little.  
_ _ _

___“I-I’m not telling you!”  
_ _ _

___“Huhhh?! Himiko, that’s not fair!”  
_ _ _

___“And why isn’t it?”  
_ _ _

___“Do you know how long I was waiting here for you? Almost two hours! The least you could do to make it up to me is tell me, who you were talking to.”  
_ _ _

___“You weren’t waiting here for two hours, you liar. I said I’m not telling you.”  
_ _ _

___He goes silent.  
_ _ _

___“Rantaro?”  
_ _ _

___She just shrugs; she feels like the more she talks the more of a chance she has of blowing her cover.  
_ _ _

___“Don’t tell me it’s Keebo.”  
_ _ _

___She doesn’t answer.  
_ _ _

___“Eh, I’ll figure it out.”  
_ _ _

___“Oh yeah?”  
_ _ _

___“Mhm!”  
_ _ _

___“Why does it matter so much to you anyways?”  
_ _ _

___“It doesn’t! I just can’t stand to leave a mystery unsolved!”  
_ _ _

___That made sense…judging from what she saw in his room, he’s pretty knowledgeable about a lot that goes on in the school. It’s probably driving a know-it-all like him crazy that there’s something going on that he doesn’t fully know about. For some reason, she enjoyed this thought. In a way, she finally felt like she had a small victory over him. She smiles.  
_ _ _

___“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Who do you think it is, really?”  
_ _ _

___“Hm…” He pretends to think, over dramatically; then looks deeply into her eyes and grins. “Is it me?”  
_ _ _

___“Huh?!”  
_ _ _

___Why did her heart momentarily stop? She didn’t expect that. How full of himself did he have to be to think her crush was on him?! She felt like punching him.  
_ _ _

___“N-No, it’s not you! Dummy!”  
_ _ _

___“You don’t need to call me names! You’re such a bully!”  
_ _ _

___He cries; she just waits it out. When he’s done faking he continues.  
_ _ _

___“But I know it isn’t me, if it was, you wouldn’t have been so late! Nishishi!”  
_ _ _

___“…That’s not funny.”  
_ _ _

___“Sure it is! The thought of you having a crush on me is _hilarious _.”  
___ _ _

___She glares at him.  
_ _ _

___“I’m only joking! I know its Kaito. You have a thing for idiots.”  
_ _ _

___“Think whatever you want.”  
_ _ _

___“How boring! I’m done guessing. Valentine’s Day is coming up. If I don’t already have it figured out, I will by then.”  
_ _ _

___“Sure you will.”  
_ _ _

___“I’ll just pay attention to who you talk to that day!”  
_ _ _

___“So you’ll be stalking me?” On Valentines Day no less? “I’ll just stay away from all the boys that day.”  
_ _ _

___He gasps dramatically.  
_ _ _

___“Himiko-”  
_ _ _

___“What?”  
_ _ _

___“…Is it a girl?”  
_ _ _

___“What?! No!”  
_ _ _

___“It’s Tenko isn’t it?!”  
_ _ _

___She knew he was just joking but-  
_ _ _

___“I thought you were done guessing?”  
_ _ _

___“Kaede!”  
_ _ _

___She suddenly felt extremely tired.  
_ _ _

___“Actually, I might just stay inside all day if you’re going to be like this.”  
_ _ _

___“I heard the girls were planning to make chocolates for everyone, so you’ll probably get dragged into that.”  
_ _ _

___Great.  
_ _ _

___“I wish everyone would just forget about it.”  
_ _ _

___“The guys probably won’t tease you about it for too long. But if you think that the girls are just gonna drop it, you’re wrong.”  
_ _ _

___She groans.  
_ _ _

___“I’m really dreading Valentines.”  
_ _ _

___“It’s only going to get worse the closer you approach to it.” He smirks. “Starting tomorrow, your torture begins.”  
_ _ _

___“…I hope you’re wrong.”  
_ _ _

___“I’m not.”  
_ _ _

___He wasn’t. It took less than two days for everyone to find out, and with every passing day since then, more and more began teasing her and asking about her ‘crush.’ Tsumugi and Angie said they wouldn’t bring it up anymore, but she had forgotten about everyone else. They were just too excited, especially those who didn’t know about it at first; so of course she had to lie to them as well. She received many different reactions:  
_ _ _

___“Hah! You’d better hope whoever you’re having wet dreams about likes donkey-lipped, flat chested, little virgins!”  
_ _ _

___“Gee, thanks Miu.”  
_ _ _

___“That’s great, Himiko! Just let me know if he hurts you so I can beat the crap out of him!”  
_ _ _

___“Sure thing, Kaito.”  
_ _ _

___“Really? Then…best of luck, Himiko!”  
_ _ _

___“Thank you, Shuichi.”  
_ _ _

___“So, you ready to tell me who it is yet?”  
_ _ _

___“I already said I’m not telling you Ouma!”  
_ _ _

___And of course, the one she had been dreading the most.  
_ _ _

___“...Himiko…I heard from a horrible degenerate that you had a crush on someone. It’s not true right? Please say it isn’t true!”  
_ _ _

___She could practically see Tenko’s angry aura.  
_ _ _

___“Tenko I-"  
_ _ _

___“I knew it! This is awful! I knew this day would come, but I wasn’t ready for it! I can’t believe some useless degenerate scum caught your attention.” She grits her teeth. “They don’t deserve you, Himiko! Once I find out who it is, they’re going to have to deal with me! I don’t know who it is, but just for good measure I’ll make sure I fight all the boys here and make sure they know that-”  
_ _ _

___She didn’t see any other choice but to tell her truth, at the very least just to calm her down.  
_ _ _

___“Tenko! Please, listen to me.” She continues once she settles down. “I lied about having a crush, I don’t like anybody!”  
_ _ _

___“Oh…you don’t?”  
_ _ _

___“No, I don’t.”  
_ _ _

___“Then why did you lie to everyone about it?”  
_ _ _

___“I just wanted people to stop bothering me about it!”  
_ _ _

___“Whew! Well that certainly changes things!” Tenko says cheerily. “I was ready to attack! Shuichi, Kiyo, Gonta-I didn’t care who it was I was ready!”  
_ _ _

___“That won’t be necessary, Tenko. But you can’t tell anyone that it’s a lie. I think that might upset them.”  
_ _ _

___“My lips are sealed!”  
_ _ _

___She had managed to deal with the endless teasing and prodding, though some days were better than others. Finally, it was the morning of Valentine’s, and all of the girls were helping Kirumi make chocolates. Thankfully, Kirumi said she’d pass them out to everyone herself, unless any of the girls wanted to pass out the chocolates themselves. Of course, no one said anything, but who knows? It’s possible for any of them to come back and ask Kirumi for their own chocolates later.  
_ _ _

___“So, Himiko-” Kaede starts.  
_ _ _

___Here we go.  
_ _ _

___“Are you feeling confident about today? If you don’t want anyone to find out who it is, you’ll have to be careful about when you hand out your chocolates.”  
_ _ _

___The other girls begin to talk at once; she can’t really make out what they’re saying.  
_ _ _

___“I’m not handing out any chocolates.”  
_ _ _

___“Huh?”  
_ _ _

___“Why not?”  
_ _ _

___“I’m uh…not ready for that yet. Can you all please just forget about my crush, and pretend today is just another normal day?”  
_ _ _

___“Maybe something bad happened?” Kaede whispered to Tenko.  
_ _ _

___“Oh uh, yeah, probably! We should stop bringing it up, we wouldn’t want to make Himiko sad, you know?”  
_ _ _

___“Alright, Himiko!”  
_ _ _

___Thank goodness. If they actually meant it, then that’s something she wouldn’t have to deal with today.  
_ _ _

___“Uh, am I allowed to be in here?”  
_ _ _

___It was Shuichi.  
_ _ _

___“Why wouldn’t you be allowed in?”  
_ _ _

___“Because Ouma said he tried to come in a few times but you all kicked him out.”  
_ _ _

___“That’s because he kept trying to take all the chocolates!”  
_ _ _

___“And he was just being annoying in general.”  
_ _ _

___“We’re finished anyways.” Kirumi says happily, taking the chocolates and storing them for later.  
_ _ _

___Some of the girls leave, some stay, Shuichi starts chatting with Maki; Himiko felt like getting air. She goes through the door that leads outside, but as soon as she does, she hears Shuichi calling for her.  
_ _ _

___“Wait, I also had a message for you.”  
_ _ _

___“From who?”  
_ _ _

___“Ouma.”  
_ _ _

___“Of course. Why didn’t he just tell me himself?”  
_ _ _

___“He’d probably get kicked out again.”  
_ _ _

___“What did he want?”  
_ _ _

___“All he said was, ‘Tell Himiko I know.’”  
_ _ _

___“He’s bluffing.”  
_ _ _

___“Is this about the person you like?”  
_ _ _

___She realized that Shuichi was the only one who hadn’t asked her or bugged her about who her ‘crush’ was. She had almost forgotten that he even knew.  
_ _ _

___“Yeah it is. Since it’s you I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have an idea of who it is.”  
_ _ _

___“I have my guesses. How do you know if Ouma is bluffing or not? You answered pretty fast, have you gotten that good at understanding him?”  
_ _ _

___“No. Not yet. I know he’s bluffing because I don’t have a crush on anyone. I lied about it.”  
_ _ _

___“Oh…really?”  
_ _ _

___“Yup. I don’t like anyone.”  
_ _ _

___He scans her face then look away, lost in thought for a moment.  
_ _ _

___“What?”  
_ _ _

___“Ah, it’s nothing. So how did you manage to lie to Ouma?”  
_ _ _

___“I didn’t exactly lie to him…he would’ve known immediately. No one else except for you and Tenko knows the truth.”  
_ _ _

___“I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” He smiles.  
_ _ _

___“Thank you.”  
_ _ _

___Kaede comes out and waves to them both.  
_ _ _

___“You guys want to go to the casino with me?”  
_ _ _

___“Sure!”  
_ _ _

___“Oh, I was about to head back to my room soon…”  
_ _ _

___“That’s okay, Himiko! Next time.” They both smile at her before they begin to walk away.  
_ _ _

___She couldn’t believe Shuichi didn’t know the truth. She really must be getting better at lying.  
_ _ _

___“And he’s supposed to be the ‘Ultimate detective.’” She says jokingly.  
_ _ _

___…Wait. He _is _the Ultimate detective. Probably the best detective in the world, right? Well, maybe not the best in the world, if he can’t even figure out that Kaede…never mind. How come Shuichi didn’t realize she was lying about having a crush? She might have been getting better, but she was still a horrible liar, everyone always told her so.  
___ _ _

___“I knew it was Shuichi!” Ouma yells, startling her.  
_ _ _

___“Will you stop doing that?! And I already said I don’t have a crush on Shuichi!”  
_ _ _

___“That’s what someone who has a crush on Shuichi would say.”  
_ _ _

___“What else would 'someone who has a crush on Shuichi' say? Just so I can avoid saying those things.”  
_ _ _

___“‘Hi, my name is Himiko!’”  
_ _ _

___“Ha-ha very funny. What do you want anyways?”  
_ _ _

___“I already told you! I’ll be following you around today!”  
_ _ _

___“Seriously? I was hoping you were joking.”  
_ _ _

___“Nope! Good luck giving your crush chocolates while I’m around.”  
_ _ _

___She didn’t even have chocolates to give.  
_ _ _

___“You can’t follow me around _everywhere _.”  
___ _ _

___“Oh? Is that a challenge?”  
_ _ _

___Instead of answering she simply walks away; of course he follows her. He follows her back inside the school and in front of the bathrooms. She stands in front of the door, raising her eyebrows in a test-y manner. His face doesn’t change. They were both challenging each other in an unspoken language.  
_ _ _

___“Fine.” She says, then goes inside the bathroom.  
_ _ _

___It was empty. She looks herself over in the mirror, not knowing what else to do. She didn’t how long she would have to wait in here, but she decided she’d wait for a few minutes, then check to see if he was still outside. The door opens, she nearly chokes.  
_ _ _

___“What are you doing?! You can’t be in here!”  
_ _ _

___“No one is even here, calm down.”  
_ _ _

___“That doesn’t make it any better! Someone could’ve seen you come in!”  
_ _ _

___“I said I’d follow you! You were the one who-”  
_ _ _

___“Okay, okay! I’m not going to argue with you in the bathroom! I get it now, alright? Let’s just get out of here!”  
_ _ _

___She was going to check outside to make sure no one would see Ouma leave the girls bathroom, but before she could reach the door, someone slowly pushes it open. In a panic, she pushes him inside a stall and follows him in, slamming the door shut. Ouma instinctively sits on the back of the toilet, obstructing his feet from being seen from the outside.  
_ _ _

___“-One second, I just want to wash my face really quick.” It was Kaede, talking to whoever was waiting for her outside; probably Shuichi.  
_ _ _

___She walks over to a sink and starts splashing water on her face.  
_ _ _

___“Is this what girls do in the bathroom?” He whispers mockingly.  
_ _ _

___It would be hard for Kaede to hear them with the water running, but she still didn’t want to take any chances.  
_ _ _

___“Shut up, shut up! This is your fault!” She whispers back.  
_ _ _

___“My fault?! I’m only in here because you thought you found a loophole by hiding in the bathroom!”  
_ _ _

___“I didn’t think you’d actually do it!”  
_ _ _

___“Don’t you know who you’re dealing with by now?”  
_ _ _

___“Just stop talking. Please.”  
_ _ _

___“Hey, hey, isn’t this kind of romantic? Hiding in here on Valentine’s Day?”  
_ _ _

___“What part of hiding in a bathroom is romantic to you?!”  
_ _ _

___“This reminds me of when we were hiding in that closet.” He gasps. “Was this your plan all along? Sneaky, sneaky, Himiko. If you wanted to be alone with me so badly all you had to do was-”  
_ _ _

___“ _My _plan?! This, and the closet, was both because of _you _!”  
_____ _ _

___The water stops and Kaede sighs, relieved. Himiko holds a finger to her mouth and prays to any god who’ll listen that Ouma keeps his mouth shut. Kaede walks towards the door, but stops at the stall they were hiding in. Himiko prays harder.  
_ _ _

___“Himiko! I’d know your cute little shoes anywhere! Hello!”  
_ _ _

___“H-h-hi, Kaede.”  
_ _ _

___Thankfully, she leaves after that. Himiko sighs.  
_ _ _

___“What’s wrong Himiko? You’re acting like you’ve never hid in the girl’s bathroom with a boy before.”  
_ _ _

___She hated how much he was enjoying this.  
_ _ _

___“This is exactly why I won’t tell you who it is. I couldn’t deal with your endless teasing for the rest of my life.”  
_ _ _

___She makes sure no one is outside before they both walk out.  
_ _ _

___“Where to now!” He says, smiling brightly.  
_ _ _

___All she could do is look at him, frustrated until she gets another idea and together they go to the dorms. When she gets to her door she turns and looks at him.  
_ _ _

___“Wait out here, I need to grab something really quick.”  
_ _ _

___“Hm? Grab what?”  
_ _ _

___“I’ll show you, just wait.”  
_ _ _

___She goes inside of her room and immediately locks the door. Ha! She didn’t mind spending the rest of the day in her room, at least here she wouldn’t be bothered or teased. Oh…but he has lock picks, doesn’t he? Though he usually doesn’t have them with him…right? He’d have to go back and get one. After letting a few minutes pass, she couldn’t contain her curiosity. She peeked out the door…no one was there. He was gone. Good. Great! This is a good thing, she won’t be bothered anymore. So why did she feel like it wasn’t? Did he really just leave? He follows her into the girl’s bathroom, but doesn’t wait outside of her room for a few minutes? Well, he does get bored easily…maybe she shouldn’t have waited inside for so long. Wait, what was she thinking? She’s glad he got bored and left.  
_ _ _

___“Himiko!”  
_ _ _

___“Oum-?” It was Tenko. “Ou…oh!”  
_ _ _

___“Huh?”  
_ _ _

___“I said ‘oh’ as in, ‘oh hi Tenko!’”  
_ _ _

___“Hi! Are you doing anything right now?”  
_ _ _

___“Nope!”  
_ _ _

___“Want to eat leftover chocolates with me? Oh! But n-not in a weird way or anything…there was just some leftover chocolates and I-I know you like sweets and…” She was a blushing, stuttering mess.  
_ _ _

___She reminded Himiko of herself.  
_ _ _

___“I know, Tenko.” She smiles. “Sure, let’s go.”  
_ _ _

___She thought it’d be a good idea to spend time with Tenko and get her mind off of…other things. But while they were sitting outside of Tenko’s lab-dojo, Tenko starts ranting about how much she hates men and how Valentine’s Day is just a sham. She was talking so much, she wasn’t even eating any of the chocolates; Himiko rested her head in her hands, bored. It wasn’t anything that she hasn’t already heard before. She wanted to spend time with Tenko, but if this was all that they were going to be doing, then she’d rather go back to her room and sleep through the rest of the day. She chews on a piece of chocolate, conflicted. Suddenly there’s a loud scream, followed by:  
_ _ _

___“G-g-get off of m-me!”  
_ _ _

___Tenko stands.  
_ _ _

___“Was that Miu?”  
_ _ _

___“I think so?”  
_ _ _

___“I-I’m s-sorry, I don’t know what happened!” Keebo-she thinks-shouts, just as loud.  
_ _ _

___“I wonder what happened…”  
_ _ _

___“I bet he’s assaulting her! I have to go help her!”  
_ _ _

___“It’s probably just a-” Before she could finish, Tenko runs off towards the source of the screams. “…misunderstanding.”  
_ _ _

___She chews on another piece of chocolate. Now what?  
_ _ _

___“Himiko!”  
_ _ _

___“Huh…I didn’t get scared this time.”  
_ _ _

___“Aw, that’s no fun, you’re getting used to it. That just means I’ll have to do something different next time!”  
_ _ _

___“Or you can talk to me like a normal person.”  
_ _ _

___“Nope! Anyways, come on, let’s go!”  
_ _ _

___“What do you mean?”  
_ _ _

___“While Tenko is away!”  
_ _ _

___“…How did you-?”  
_ _ _

___“I’ve been here the whole time!”  
_ _ _

___“What?! Where?!”  
_ _ _

___“A great magician never reveals their secrets, right?”  
_ _ _

___She makes a mental note to watch what she says when she’s outside; Ouma is apparently really good at hiding and spying.  
_ _ _

___“Creep!”  
_ _ _

___“Come on! That distraction won’t keep her busy for long.”  
_ _ _

___“You mean Miu and Keebo? So you had something to do with that.”  
_ _ _

___“No! That happened on its own and created this perfect opportunity.”  
_ _ _

___She stares at him.  
_ _ _

___“Okay so, I might have pushed Kiibo on Miu, it’s nothing serious.”  
_ _ _

___“And why did you do that?”  
_ _ _

___“You looked bored so I came to rescue you! You can thank me later! Unless you’re going to try and tell me that you actually wanted to stay and listen to Tenko go on and on?”  
_ _ _

___“Maybe not, but it’ll probably be better than going with you so you can annoy me all day.”  
_ _ _

___She didn’t mean that. Of course she wanted to go with him.  
_ _ _

___“Eh? How is that different from any other day?”  
_ _ _

___“It’s different because you keep asking me who my crush is, when I told you a million times that I wasn’t going to tell you who.”  
_ _ _

___“Oh! If that’s all then…alrighty! I won’t bring it up anymore.”  
_ _ _

___“You won’t?”  
_ _ _

___“Nope! I already know who it is anyways.”  
_ _ _

___“No you don't.”  
_ _ _

___“Maybe, maybe not. But I’ll tell you,” He holds out his hand. “if you come with me.”  
_ _ _

___“Hah! What makes you think I want to go with you?”  
_ _ _

___“The fact that you’re smiling?”  
_ _ _

___Wait was she? Was she?! Did she have no control over her body or emotions anymore? Defeated, she grabs the chocolates, takes his hand and they run together. He takes her to the dining hall.  
_ _ _

___“Why here?”  
_ _ _

___“I wanted to check for something.”  
_ _ _

___He disappears further inside the kitchen.  
_ _ _

___“Are you going to tell me who you think it is?”  
_ _ _

___“Oh, that was a lie, of course! I have no idea!”  
_ _ _

___"Figures. I should’ve seen that coming.”  
_ _ _

___"Damn it!”  
_ _ _

___“What is it?” She walks over to him.  
_ _ _

___“I thought there’d be some chocolate left, but there isn't!.” He starts to cry. “It’s all because of you! I probably missed Kirumi handing them out because I was too busy trying to save you from Tenko! Why do all good deeds go unnoticed?!”  
_ _ _

___He didn’t get any chocolates?  
_ _ _

___“…I have some.” She hands him the bag. “Here…for ‘saving me.’”  
_ _ _

___He stops crying and gasps dramatically.  
_ _ _

___“I didn’t even notice you had those! And I can have all of them?”  
_ _ _

___“N-not all of them-”  
_ _ _

___“ _All of them _?!”  
___ _ _

___“No, I-“  
_ _ _

___“Wow. I can’t believe you’re giving me all of them. Thanks Himiko!”  
_ _ _

___“…Yeah, I guess you can have them all…I ate some already.”  
_ _ _

___He’s about to eat a piece of chocolate but he hesitates and looks at it.  
_ _ _

___“What?”  
_ _ _

___“There’s something on it.”  
_ _ _

___“Let me see.” She takes his hand and brings it close to her. “Oh. This must be the batch of chocolates I made.”  
_ _ _

___“Really?”  
_ _ _

___She takes it from his hand entirely.  
_ _ _

___“Yeah, I got bored and I drew an ‘H’ on the back of all of the chocolates I made.” She holds it up to him. “See?”  
_ _ _

___Without warning, he bites the chocolate out of her hand.  
_ _ _

___“What are you doing?! You almost bit my finger!”  
_ _ _

___“Nishishi!”  
_ _ _

___After eating the chocolate he frowns.  
_ _ _

___“What is it?”  
_ _ _

___“It’s bitter.”  
_ _ _

___No it isn’t! I was eating them earlier, they tasted fine!”  
_ _ _

___“Maybe you just have a taste for bittersweet chocolates. If that’s the case, you can keep them. I don’t want it.”  
_ _ _

___“Fine!”  
_ _ _

___She tries to grab the bag but he jerks his hand away.  
_ _ _

___“Hey, I was just kidding! You can’t have them!”  
_ _ _

___“They’re good?”  
_ _ _

___“Of course they’re good. You can’t ruin chocolate.”  
_ _ _

___“Then…I’m glad you like them.”  
_ _ _

___“So what are we doing for the rest of the day? Since you’re obviously not going to talk to your crush, and I still have to follow you to make sure, it would seem we’re stuck together.”  
_ _ _

___“We’re not ‘stuck together,’ you’re choosing to follow me.”  
_ _ _

___“Hey, let’s go to your lab again! I wanna learn a magic trick.”  
_ _ _

___Before she could object he was happily walking out the dining hall and towards her lab; she had no choice but to follow. They spent the rest of their time together in Himiko’s lab, playing with her cards, in the game room and in the casino. It was where they always went, but she never grew tired of doing the same things. It was fun when they were together, no matter what they were doing. Eventually, he tells her he still has things he needed to do in his lab, and it was time for him to disappear for a bit; which worked out perfectly for her because she wanted to be alone for a while anyways. Not that she didn’t enjoy his company, she just couldn’t stop thinking about the talk she had with Shuichi; and with Ouma’s extreme energy, she didn’t really have a chance to think about it as much as she would’ve liked. They said their goodbyes-well she did, he just lied about not having any fun-and she heads back to the dorms.  
_ _ _

___“Oh, Maki!”  
_ _ _

___She had caught her just coming out of the building.  
_ _ _

___“Himiko; hello.”  
_ _ _

___“What are you up to?”  
_ _ _

___“I was just about to meet with the others.” She pauses. “Where were _you _all day?”  
___ _ _

___“Oh, I just spent the day with Ouma.”  
_ _ _

___“Ah…I see…” She hesitates. “You look like there’s something on your mind…do you want to tell me about it?”  
_ _ _

___How was Maki so good at knowing when something was bothering her?  
_ _ _

___“Thank you, but it’s okay. I don’t even understand my own feelings so I wouldn’t force you to try to understand them as well. Besides, I don’t want to keep you from meeting with everyone else.”  
_ _ _

___“They can wait; I’m not in a rush. I may not be able to understand, but I think it will still be good for you to talk about it, and get it off of your chest…if you want.”  
_ _ _

___She thinks it over. She had no reason to say ‘no.’ Getting it off of her chest sounded great; she didn’t have anyone to talk to about certain things that’s been happening lately, but she knew Maki would try her best to understand. And more importantly, she knew she wouldn’t tell anyone.  
_ _ _

___“That sounds…great.”  
_ _ _

___So she tells her everything. About how Tsumugi was certain she had a crush, how she lied about actually having one, how Ouma spent the whole day trying to figure out who it was, and how she somehow managed to fool Shuichi, which was what concerned her the most.  
_ _ _

___“…You shouldn’t have lied. Lying always seems to complicate things.”  
_ _ _

___“I know…”  
_ _ _

___“You should probably tell everyone the truth, or else they’ll never leave you alone.”  
_ _ _

___That’s what she was thinking as well…  
_ _ _

___“And about Shuichi.” She stops for a moment, then smiles. “He is the Ultimate detective after all.”  
_ _ _

___“I know. That’s why I was confused.”  
_ _ _

___“Shuichi’s job, as a detective, is to find the truth.”  
_ _ _

___“Uh-huh.”  
_ _ _

___“But you said Shuichi-the one who always finds out the truth-believed that you had a crush on someone.”  
_ _ _

___“Right.”  
_ _ _

___She closes her eyes and sighs, as if she didn’t know how to simplify it further.  
_ _ _

___“Do you think that Shuichi didn’t know you were lying, because…you weren’t?”  
_ _ _

___There’s a long pause; she wasn’t sure her brain could even comprehend what was just said.  
_ _ _

___“I don’t understand. You’re saying that I really do have a crush on someone?”  
_ _ _

___“Maybe.”  
_ _ _

___“But, who?”  
_ _ _

___Instead of answering, Maki only raises an eyebrow.  
_ _ _

___“Ouma?! You think I have a crush on Ouma?!”  
_ _ _

___“I didn’t say a name.”  
_ _ _

___…Oh.  
_ _ _

___“That’s ridiculous. Ouma and I friends.”  
_ _ _

___“I was only suggesting based on what it seemed like.”  
_ _ _

___“‘What it seems like?’”  
_ _ _

___“From what you told me, you spent all of Valentine’s Day together with him; and the one time you were separated, was for about ten minutes then you immediately got back to each other. You even gave him Valentine’s chocolates that you specifically made. Besides, isn’t it kind of ironic that he spent the whole day with you because he knew you would want to talk to your crush, but the only person you were around was him?”  
_ _ _

___…She…didn’t even know what to say. She didn’t even realize that’s basically what happened, and she had honestly forgotten that it was even Valentine’s Day!  
_ _ _

___“Okay, when you say it like that…it does _seem _like I have a c-crush on Ouma but, I don’t! Really, I don’t!”  
___ _ _

___“I’ll believe you.”  
_ _ _

___At least, she thinks she doesn’t? She always saw him as a close friend who she could always have fun with. He always made her laugh and she enjoyed having someone to teach and show her magic to. And even though he would always tease and annoy her to no end…she didn’t mind it. So of course she looked forward to seeing him, and sure, she thought about him often but, that doesn’t mean she likes him, right?  
_ _ _

___“Well, I won’t lie…because that’s what started this whole mess. If I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure. I don’t think I have any romantic feelings towards him but…I’m not even sure I would know if I did.”  
_ _ _

___“You’d know.”  
_ _ _

___“I would? But my emotions are so confusing, how would I be able to know?”  
_ _ _

___“You would know in the moment. Your mind and heart probably won’t agree, you’ll feel warm, you’ll feel like you don’t know how to breath yet walking on air. It all sounds really stupid but it’s true.”  
_ _ _

___Is that so?  
_ _ _

___“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” She says, jokingly.  
_ _ _

___Maki looks surprised, like she didn’t mean to say as much as she did. Then she glares at her. It’s hostile enough to send shivers down Himiko’s spine.  
_ _ _

___“Do you want to die?”  
_ _ _

___“N-no! I didn’t mean it!”  
_ _ _

___“…I’m sorry.” She grabs her hair. “Force of habit.”  
_ _ _

___“That’s a scary habit…”  
_ _ _

___She promised Maki that tomorrow she would apologize and tell the truth the other girls, and went back to her room. She didn’t get much sleep that night._ _ _


End file.
